BASEL, SWITZERLAND.- This year, for the first time, Art Basel is devoting exhibition space to an exceptional art form: «Artists Books». These have hitherto led a marginal existence at art shows, to some extent because booths are too expensive and not particularly suitable for their presentation. The special area devoted to «Artists Books» in the «Art Unlimited» hall gives more space to this affordable field of collecting. The exhibition's objective is to provide a panorama of the varied production of «Artists Books» in the 21st century and to show their extraordinary diversity. The curator is Geneva Art historian and publisher of contemporary art Lionel Bovier in collaboration with Basel bookseller and gallery owner Diego Stampa. Following on from this same theme, a number of events are being organized together with Alla Ruppersberg, Maurio Nannucci, John Armleder and Diana Widmaier Picasso.

Artists books originated in the 1960s with the works of Pop Art, Concept Art, Fluxus, Nouveau Réalisme and Neo-Dadaism. Alongside the objects, films, installations or performances which artists create personally, many have repeatedly returned to the printed genre, making their art available to the public in the format, and generally also at the price, of a book. Although these pieces have been entering the collections of art institutions for several decades now, they have hitherto remained largely unknown to the general public.

The special exhibition entitled «Artists Books» sets out to provide a subjective panorama of the varied production of «Artists Books» in the 21st century and its extraordinary range. Works by over 100 artists will be on show, including those by Maria Lindberg David Maljkovic, Emmanuelle Antille, Carlos Amorales, Gabriel Orozco, Jennifer Tee, Olaf Nicolai, Raymond Pettibon, Ai Weiwei, Fiona Banner, Günter Brus & Jörg Schlick, Lucy McKenzie, James Welling, Kai Althoff, Wolfgang Tillmans, Carsten Nicolai, Susanne Bürner, Monica Bonvicini, Christian Boltanski, Rita McBride, Sean Landers, Markus Lüpertz, Richard Prince, Navin Rawanchaikul, Richard Tuttle, Bruce Naumann, David Goldblatt and many others.

The exhibition in the «Art Unlimited» hall is being enhanced by information events and book presentations in the presence of the artists. Allan Ruppersberg, Maurio Nannucci, John Armleder and Diana Widmaier Picasso are among the many who will be in attendance.