Ancient tales retold
Concordia’s dynamic collection of artists’ books has just expanded with 11 stunning volumes by mid-20th-century artists, recently donated by Montreal resident Denis Pelletier. The gift highlights Concordia’s status as a premiere centre for the study of art in Canada.
“These beautiful rare volumes represent a significant addition to Concordia’s collection,” says Geoffrey Little, collections librarian at Concordia University Libraries.
Most of the titles are held by only a handful of institutions in North America — and in some cases there are no other copies in Canada.
“I hope as many people as possible get their gloved hands on the books and find inspiration in them. People just don’t see books like this in everyday life — even people in the arts rarely, if ever, see true art books,” says Pelletier, a lifetime book lover and translator by trade, who inherited the precious tomes from a treasured friend and mentor over 15 years ago.
Popularized after World War II, artist’s books — or livres d’artistes — are works of art in themselves. They can feature lavish illustrations, fine papers, embossing and bindings, sometimes valued in the thousands of dollars in the collectors’ market, or they can be self-produced experimental works of art that challenge the traditional form of the book.
The volumes donated by Pelletier are large-format limited editions, many based on classical texts — including Ovid’s Art of Love and Homer’s Odyssey. All but one were published by Gonin, specialists in art books, and many feature original illustrations by Hans Erni, a noted Swiss artist.
“It’s interesting to see how ancient tales are retold by 20th-century artists. These works will be of particular interest to researchers and students in visual arts and classics, as well as to anyone interested in the history of the book and book design,” says Little.
Concordia Libraries has been growing its collection of artists’ books in recent years. In addition to the foundational gift of 16 volumes donated by Sylvia Camlot in 2010, the library has acquired a number of artists’ books created by Concordia students, faculty and alumni.
Related links:
- Concordia Libraries
- “A cultural donation to behold,” September 2011, Concordia NOW, article about the university's growing collection of artists' books
- Giving to Concordia