Bruce Peel Special Collections

Though not without historical precedent, the rise of artists’ books (or  bookworks) as a distinct artistic form is related to the formal experimentation associated with twentieth-century avant-garde movements. Artists’ books experiment with the physical form of the book, the visual conventions of the page, the experience of the reader, and traditional book production materials and methods. Despite the difficulty in defining “artists’ books,” they can be broadly characterized as original works of art that reflexively engage with the book form and its history, meaning, and identity. The collection of artists’ books in Bruce Peel Special Collections exemplifies this type of diversity, ranging from items that retain the traditional codex form but experiment with text and image conventions on the page to items that take on the form of boxes of documents or sculptural works, challenging our most basic ideas of what a book is and what it should do. This collection goes back to the 1960s, but is largely dated from the 1980s. It is a collection that celebrates Canadian artists (see Peel's digital exhibition Canadian Women Artists' Books), though artists from all over the world are represented, and it includes the "Home Museum Collection," purchased from Frankie Brown (an artist from Berkeley, California) who collected and curated 379 artists' books between 1960 and 1985.

For video-views of a dozen artist's books, click here.

Collection Formats: 20th Century, 21st Century, Art Work, Artists Books, Books, Limited Edition Books, Specialty Bindings -- click to see other collections with this format