Evolution and Innovation 1870-1920

The Modern Artist’s Book has its origins in France in the wake of the Franco-Prussian War. Artists like Manet rejected the mass-produced and often poorly printed books of the era in which a predominance of text was occasionally relieved by different illustrations. Instead, in volumes like Manet’s Le Fleuve (1874), the book was carefully designed to combine text and images in a sympathetic and unified whole. This revolution in book design spread throughout Europe and to America, reflecting the particular aesthetic sensibilities of each nation. The twenty-six books in this gallery display the rapid evolution of artists’ book design during the period and the innovative use of graphic techniques, typography, binding and scale.