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Sol
LeWitt: Artist's Books
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Upper row : (l) Sol LeWitt, Geometric Figures & Color, New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1979 / (r) Sol LeWitt, Autobiography, New York: Multiples; Boston: Lois and Michael K. Torf 1980// middle row: (l) Sol LeWitt, Photo Grids, New York: Paul David Press; Rizzoli, 1977 / (r) Sol LeWitt, Lines & Color, Zürich: Annemarie Verna 1975 // lower row:(l) Sol LeWitt, Opening Series, Edinburgh: Morning Star Publications, 1994 /(r) Sol LeWitt, Cock Fight Dance, New York: Rizzoli & Multiples, 1980 The exhibition SOL LEWITT. Artist's Books opening at Art Laboratory Berlin on 21 January presents the complete oeuvre of 75 artists' books produced by the American conceptual artist Sol LeWitt, dating from 1967 to 2002. This exhibition pays tribute to the unique bibliophile production of the artist, who died in 2007. SOL LEWITT Artist's Books, a collaboration between Art Laboratory Berlin and Viaindustriae, in Foligno, Italy, has previously been shown in Paris, Sheffield, Istanbul and Ljubljana, and after Berlin the exhibition will travel on to Athens and New York. In
addition to an intensive exhibition program (gallery tours, talks
and the possibility of visitors to study the artist's books in detail)
Art Laboratory Berlin is also holding an inter-disciplinary symposium
on the artistic practice of Sol LeWitt (19/20 February, 2011). The American artist Sol LeWitt (1928 - 2007) was an influential figure in minimalism and is considered one of the most important representatives as well as co-founder of American conceptual art. The term "conceptual art" goes directly back to LeWitt: "If the artist carries through his idea and makes it into visible form, then all the steps in the process are of importance. The idea itself, even if not made visual, is as much a work of art as any finished product. All intervening steps - scribbles, sketches, drawings, failed works, models, studies, thoughts, conversations - are of interest. Those that show the thought process of the artist are sometimes more interesting than the final product." (Paragraphs, Artforum, June 1967) LeWitt's
intensive artist books production was extremely versatile: he used
different designs and formats as well as varied techniques from
color lithography to offset printing. Finally the phenomena of reproducibility
was part of the concept: "Also, since art is a vehicle for
the transmission of ideas through form, the reproduction of the
form only reinforces the concept. It is the idea that is being reproduced."
(ibid.) The occasion of having assembled all the artist books of Sol LeWitt in one exhibition offers the possibility to study his work intensively. Just as with earlier exhibitions at Art Laboratory Berlin, we plan to connect artistic practice and a scholarly approach by means of a symposium. The interdisciplinary symposium seeks to bring together art historians, literary scholars, philosophers, mathematicians and visual artists to give presentations and discuss the manifold creative approach of Sol LeWitt. Contributors: Sabeth Buchmann, Aissa Deebi, Annette Gilbert, Paul Maenz, Jonathan Monk, Adrian Piper, Michael Rottmann, Manuela Schöpp, Gregor Stemmrich, Volker Straebel, Ken Wahl. (Information about the symposium )
Video © Kira Kaunert, 2010
Sol LeWitt_Conceptual Art_Book Art. Essay by Regine Rapp
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