Parallel Visions: Poets, Artists, and the Book

Throughout history, many artists have found irresistible the challenge of bringing their visions to poetry, frequently finding inspiration in classical and canonical poets. In the twentieth century, as the avant-garde gained ascendancy, many visual artists gravitated to the exciting new experimental writing of the day. Collaboration deepened between artists and poets who engaged together as contemporaries in the creation of livres d’artiste, or artists’ books. This exhibition highlights many such rewarding partnerships, including Max Jacob's Saint Matorel, illustrated by Pablo Picasso (1911); Giorgio de Chico’s profusely illustrated edition of Guillaume Apollinaire’s Calligrammes (1930); and Paul Éluard and Joan Miró’s À toute épreuve (1958).