About
Gagosian is pleased to announce FIRSTbooks, a new exhibition series that focuses on the publishing debuts of a broad range of historic and contemporary artists.
The initial selection features twenty-four books spanning five centuries, from 1610 to 2013. This mini-survey introduces a wealth of first approaches by artists to the book form: from the classic livre illustré to diverse variations on the contemporary artist’s book, from book sculptures and pop-up books to conceptual and photo-documentary books. Highlights include books of etchings by the English Romanticist William Turner and French Surrealist Yves Tanguy; illustrated books by Amedeo Modigliani and Pablo Picasso; Robert Gober’s HEAT; and KINDERBUCH (Children’s Book), Dieter Roth’s first book featuring mesmerizing compositions of primary-colored geometric shapes.
FIRSTbooks is a tribute to the book as an art form, to the artists who have explored the book as a vehicle for new ideas, and to the publishers who have produced and distributed artist’s books.
FIRSTbooks is conceived and presented by Matthew Zucker, a New York–based art book dealer, collector, and curator.
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Behind the Art
A Foreigner Called Picasso
Join president of the Picasso Museum, Paris, Cécile Debray; curator, writer, biographer, and historian Annie Cohen-Solal; art historian Vérane Tasseau; and Gagosian director Serena Cattaneo Adorno as they discuss A Foreigner Called Picasso. Organized in association with the Musée national Picasso–Paris and the Palais de la Porte Dorée–Musée national de l’histoire de l’immigration, Paris, the exhibition reframes our perception of Picasso and focuses on his status as a permanent foreigner in France.
A Foreigner Called Picasso
Cocurator of the exhibition A Foreigner Called Picasso, at Gagosian, New York, Annie Cohen-Solal writes about the genesis of the project, her commitment to the figure of the outsider, and Picasso’s enduring relevance to matters geopolitical and sociological.
Fashion and Art: Pieter Mulier
Pieter Mulier, creative director of Alaïa, presented his second collection for the legendary house in Paris in January 2022. After the presentation, Mulier spoke with Derek Blasberg about the show’s inspirations, including a series of ceramics by Pablo Picasso, and about his profound reverence for the intimacy and artistry of the atelier.
The Art of Biography: Sir John Richardson’s “The Minotaur Years”
Pepe Karmel celebrates the release of A Life of Picasso IV: The Minotaur Years, 1933–1943, the final installment of Sir John Richardson’s magisterial biography.
Game Changer
Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler
Michael Cary pays homage to the visionary dealer Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler (1884–1979).
Game Changer
Grace McCann Morley
Berit Potter pays homage to the ardent museum leader who transformed San Francisco’s relationship to modern art.
