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Dr. Regine Ehleiter, Berlin art historian and curator, working for the Institute for Theory in 2021/22, deals intensively with the topic of "Artists Books" and, during a visit to the library, talks about a project by the long-time director of the MoMA Library and artist book historian Clive Phillpot in the 1970s: conceptual ("difficult") publications (which could neither be clearly defined as books nor as exhibition catalogs) are listed as works of art in their own right and are not relegated to the stacks, but presented in the open stacks: His aim was to create surprises and moments of wonder in the confrontation with the "odd pamphlets": "People using any part of the library could then become mystified or be given surprises by coming across puzzling artists' books that have been dispersed or sercreted through the collection... wonderful moments of not understanding".
Julia Blume made the first selection of special titles for the HGB library, which are actually "hidden" in the stacks, but will be shown publicly on the occasion of the anniversary (if the condition of the collection allows it):

Rossmann, Teige, Sutnar, Styrsky & Toyen
The HGB Library's collection contains original typographic gems of Czechoslovak modernism. The artists, who were active in many fields, belonged to the avant-garde group Devětsil. Schovávaná na schodech (Hide and Seek on the Stairs) by Vítězslav Nezval was designed by Karel Teige in 1931. The cover for his Falesny marias (False Marys) was created by the artist duo Štyrský & Toyen. Zdeněk Rossmann took over the design of the catalog "Civilisovaná žena: Jak se má kultivovaná žena oblékati = Civilized woman: How a cultivated woman should dress" in 1929. Ladislav Sutnar's famous bindings for books by G.B. Shaw are available, as well as later works created in the USA. The two volumes of the magazine he directed, "Zijeme. Obrazkovy magazin dnesni doby. (We live. Picture magazine of the present time)" from 1931-1933 unite all important representatives of European modernism with texts and pictures. Sutner also designed various covers for it and its exhibition design was photographed by Josef Sudek.

>>> The event is part of the annual program for the 150th anniversary of the HGB Library. More information...