What is an Art Book? Volume 3

An art book to me is a
means for knowledge and a
connection that is not always
present when looking at a
body of work in a gallery or
museum. Rarely do you, the
viewer, get to here the artist
or art critic speak about the
work on the wall in a considered
and contextualized way.
The work we make as artists
relates to something, inevitably
from our life experience,
our interests socially, morally,
politically, etc… A good
art book will take a collection
of images, or an exhibition,
and contextualize them
so that the reader will have
a better understanding of the
driving force behind the work.
It may also shed light on a
broader composition of the
artist working process. Art is
not always easy to read as
a contextual statement, this
is where the art critic or historian
comes in, to fill in the
gaps. Artists work in a bubble
or vacuum, sometimes alone,
sometimes in a group but the
work is created with a limited
scope on the world around
them. The problem with this is
that we, as artists, want the
world to see and relate to
the art. This is certainly possible,
but it takes more than
one creative mind. Gallerists
and dealers can do this with
clientele who are intellectually
primed to interpret visual
imagery. Art books take this
idea of dissecting visual imagery
even further, with biographies,
historical references,
influences and juxtapositions
that break down information
that is not always present
in the gallery.The flip side
to this dissection of conceptual
development is the art
book as a symbol of status.
Art books are often glossy,
slick and sexy objects that
are more accessible than a
single painting in the gallery.
This kind of symbol is important
to the artist and the
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