BASEL.- For the second year running, Art Basel is devoting part of its exhibition space to the popular collecting field of artists' books. While last year's focus was on artists' books produced in the previous five years, the accent this year is on the «small press scene» between 1960 and 1970. The exhibition is curated by Geneva art historian and contemporary-art publisher Lionel Bovier in cooperation with AA Bronson and Printed Matter (New York), which is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary this year. The presentation will be accompanied by complementary events featuring artists and publishers.

Curator Lionel Bovier and AA Bronson have set out to assemble all the books published by specialist publishers like Something Else Press (USA) or Ecart (Switzerland) in the 1960s, and equally to put remaindered stock back into circulation. This twofold approach will enable the exhibition to convey some idea of the scope of emblematic editorial policies pursued between 1960 and 1970, and to return projects from that period – which was frequently kept confidential – to the market for the limited period of the show.

The exhibition will include works by over 100 artists, among them John Armleder, George Brecht, John Cage, Peter Downsborough, Robert Filliou, Dan Graham, Dick Higgins, Allan Kaprow, Alison Knowles, Annette Messager, Maurizio Nannucci, Sarkis, Daniel Spoerri, Wolf Vostell, and Lawrence Weiner, to name only a few.

As presented here, artists' books originated in the 1960s with works produced by the Pop Art, Concept Art, Fluxus, Nouveau Réaliste, and Neo-Dadaist movements. Alongside the objects, films, installations, or performances they create personally, numerous artists 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. Though these pieces have been entering the collections of art institutions for several decades now, they have remained largely unknown to the general public.

One aim of this exhibition is to highlight and define the specific qualities of artists' books as vehicles for art projects (ease of dissemination, democratic access, autonomy, etc.). Given the wide range of local and financial obstacles to contemporary art, artists' books are «ideal» objects for our day.

The exhibition in the «Art Unlimited» hall will be accompanied by information events and book presentations in the Art Lobby in the presence of the artists and publishers.