Art Metropole

#13568

In Relief (my collection of Sol LeWitt books - exact size, shape and occasionally colour), 2015

Artist

Jonathan Monk

Date

2016

Publisher

Archiv

Format

Artists' Books

Size

20 × 21.5 × 0.2 cm

Length

28 pp

Genre

Books on Books, Catalogue

Description

“I have been collecting Sol LeWitt books for some time now – initially these books were used as material for a series of animations, but slowly I started buying them just to complete a collection. The search for the white spine.

Sol’s books are predominately white and when going through the shelves of book dealers I always pull out the white books with hope… repetition and repeat is a constant – I often acquire the same book twice or even three times… they all look the same.

In 2005 I produced a book called Cover Version – it featured all the covers of my Sol LeWitt books – a kind of what’s in my library compendium.

For this new piece I have fabricated an abstract version of Cover Version.

The books were laid out as if on a small table top – each book carefully measured… height, width and thickness… Certain book sellers use a similar display technique.

This was then transformed into five medium density fibre board wall mounted relief panels. Expertly cut and routed (not by me) to follow the forms given by Mr LeWitt and his publications. The painted and sanded surface made by the fabricator has been left to give the appropriate patina to the entire piece.

Books are there to be handled and not just bought and sold.”

- Jonathan Monk, 2015

Published on the occasion of the exhibition Jonathan Monk im Archiv: In Relief (my collection of Sol LeWitt books – exact size, shape and occasionally colour), 2015 at Archiv, Zurich.

With a text David Platzker.

Softcover, staple-bound, b/w with yellow endpapers
Edition of 400

1.