“Learn to Read Art” was an exhibition of 287 published works by artists from the postwar period to the present. Artists included many Fluxus and conceptual artists such as Rodney Graham, Hamish Fulton, Robert Fones, Duchamp and Genevieve Cadieux. This exhibition pamphlet marks Art Metropole and Printed Matter’s show at the Basel Art Fair in 1991. The Playmate bunny/skull image on each page was created by Richard Prince. Cover artwork by Richard Prince and Lawrence Weiner.
“An Exhibition of Artists’ Books and Multiples from the Permanent Collection of Art Metropole. LEARN TO READ ART is an exhibition of 287 published works by artists from the postwar period to the present. Although the contemporary artist’s book emerged early in the twentieth century, it was not until the sixties that it came into its own as a medium ideally suited to the needs of Fluxus and Conceptual artists of the period thus our exhibition picks up this thread of history in the postwar years and follows it into that period of intense evolution which was the sixties and early seventies.” – AA Bronson, from introduction.
Curated by AA Bronson, John Goodwin. Artists include Carl Andre, David Antin, Eleanor Antin, Ida Applebroog, John Armleder, Art & Language, John Baldessari, Robert Barry, Lothar Baumgarten, Iain Baxter, Ingrid Baxter, Joseph Beuys, Barbara Bloom, Mel Bochner, Alighiero E. Boetti, Christian Boltanski, George Brecht, Marcel Broodthaers, Stanley Brouwn, David Buchan, Chris Burden, Daniel Buren, Michael Buthe, James Lee Byars, Genevieve Cadieux, Guiseppe Chiari, Christo, Francesco Clemente, Robert Cumming, Jan Dibbets, Marcel Duchamp, Hans-Peter Feldmann, File, Robert Filliou, Ian Hamilton Finlay, Fluxus, Robert Fones, Katharina Fritsch, Hamish Fulton, General Idea, Gilbert & George, Dan Graham, Rodney Graham, Jenny Holzer, Douglas Huebler, Image Bank, International Situationist, Joe Jones, Allan Kaprow, Anselm Kiefer, Martin Kippenberger, Michael Kirby, Yves Klein, Bengt af Klintberg, Joseph Kosuth, Barbara Kruger, Louise Lawler, Sol LeWitt, George Maciunas, Allan MacKay, Jackson Mac Low, Liz Magor, Christian Marclay, Lise Melhorn-Boe, Mario Merz, Robert Morris, Multiples Inc., Ian Murray, Maurizio Nannucci, Bruce Nauman, Hermann Nitsch, Claes Oldenburg, Yoko Ono, Dennis Oppenheim, Meret Oppenheim, Nam June Paik, Robert Rauschenberg, Steve Reich, Dieter Rot [Dieter Roth], Jerome Rothenberg, Edward Ruscha, Carolee Schneemann, Becky Singleton, Robert Smithson, SMS [Shit Must Stop], Michael Snow, Valerie Solanis, Jesus Raphael Soto, Jana Sterbak, Rosemarie Trockel, Ben Vautier, Bernar Venet, Andy Warhol, Robert Watts, Krzysztof Wodiczko, Wolf Vostell, La Monte Young and Zaj.