de Young Museum

It was not until the emergence of the artist book in the 20th century that book bindings—a book’s front and back covers and spine—came to be appreciated as more than merely protective or decorative. In the early 1900s, any deluxe artist book—with original print illustrations by a well-known artist, printed on fine papers, and issued unbound in limited quantity—fairly cried out for a creative binding. Collectors of these elegant books often commissioned bookbinders to fabricate unique leather covers with original designs that evoked the spirit or mood of the book’s text or illustrations.

The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco present an unparalleled collection of decorative arts from the Musée du Louvre, Paris, including some of the most exquisite treasures of the French monarchy from the time of Louis XIV until the Revolution of 1789. Royal Treasures from the Louvre: Louis XIV to Marie-Antoinette is the story of French royal patronage, and the showcased objects in the exhibition are nothing less than dazzling:  the Gobelins manufactory’s masterwork mosaic tabletop of semiprecious stones; the gemmes de la couronne, precious hardstone vases collected by Louis XIV; the présents du Roi, including diamond-and-gem snuffboxes made for the royal family to present as gifts; personal items made for Louis XV’s private use or for use by his mistresses, Madame de Pompadour and Madame du Barry, including exquisite Sèvres porcelain and silver; and Marie-Antoinette’s personal collection of precious vases made of agate and other hardstones.

The rarely seen Boîte en Valise (1941) and Sur Marcel Duchamp (1959) take center stage in this small-focus exhibition featuring seven artworks by Marcel Duchamp (1877–1968) that refuse to conform to traditional bibliographic structure, hovering between book, objet d’art, and sculpture. The Boîte for example is a leather suitcase that contains miniature replicas, photographs, and color reproductions of Duchamp’s other works. Another work defying categorization is the catalogue of the exhibition Le Surrealisme in 1947 with its Duchamp-designed cover of a hand-colored foam-rubber breast mounted on a piece of irregularly shaped black velvet.