In recent years, a remarkable number of national and international artist’s books have become part of the Banco Sabadell Art Collection, giving rise to one of the few private collections of artist’s books in Spain. The exhibition Salto de página (“Page break”) takes us on a journey through this collection. The works on display are divided into five sections: historical background, artist’s books, book-objects, photo books and self-published books.
The exhibition explores the history of artist’s books, from their beginnings in the late 19th century – when some artists were commissioned to illustrate texts by writers and poets – all the way through to the present day, with the rise of self-published books.
According to Marcel Duchamp, an artist’s book is a book created by an artist. Under this premise, in the mid-20th century avant-garde artists started using books in order to break away from traditional art and convey ideas, as stated by conceptual artist Sol LeWitt.
These books are characterised by their spirit of innovation and the fact that they are conceived as works of art, i.e. the book is regarded as an art form in itself, like painting, sculpture or video. This conception remains valid today, as some young creators publish their own books using currently available technology.
Many of the artist’s books included in the Banco Sabadell Art Collection are displayed here, where you can see works by renowned artists such as Alicia Framis, Joan Fontcuberta, Cristina de Middel, Equipo Crónica, José Pedro Croft or Mar Arza, among others.
Banco Sabadell collaborates with ArtsLibris, the International Artist’s Book Fair, to organise the ArtsLibris – Banco Sabadell Awards every year. The aim of this initiative is to acquire publications selected by an international jury, which has allowed the bank to start its collection of artist’s books.
