Amazon George Braziller, Inc. Category:  Arts/Entertainment Publisher: George Braziller, Inc. ISBN-10:  0807616060 Pages: 136 Copyright: 2011 ISBN-13: 9780807616062 THE BOOK ART OF RICHARD MINSKY provides readers with the unique opportunity to explore the sculptural bookworks of renowned book artist Richard Minsky. Themes of social justice run throughout Minsky’s body of work, providing commentary that is simultaneously political and aesthetically rich. Selecting the most influential pieces that changed the way artists make books, and some of the least known masterworks from private collections, this volume presents the first comprehensive examination of a half century of Minsky's works. A foreword by curator and historian Betty Bright complements a first person narrative by Richard. He discusses the influences that shaped his life in art from early childhood onward. He also reveals key elements of his theoretical methodology that shaped the "material meets metaphor" works for which he is best known, as well as the principles of decorative art that inspired his integration of Constructivist and Art Deco strategies with Abstract Expressionist principles.

The Book Art of Richard Minsky
A new book about the famous book artist: Richard Minsky has been making and remaking artists' books for fifty years. "The Book Art of Richard Minsky", recently published by George Braziller, Inc., shows the best of it.

The book itself is a piece of art, bound in a beautifully printed and embossed hardcover and filled with numerous illustrations. It invites readers - and admirers - to explore the sculptural book works of Richard Minsky. Selecting the most influential pieces that changed the way artists make books, and some of the least known masterworks from private collections, "The Book Art of Richard Minsky" presents the first comprehensive examination of his works. The artist discusses the influences that shaped his life in art from early childhood onward. Besides the biographical background he reveals the key elements of his methodology that shaped the "material meets metaphor" objects like, among many others, "The Crisis of Democracy" (a book held and "sheltered" by barbed wire), "The First Amendment" (a book-shaped reliquary containing the burned "Satanic Verses") and "Nineteen Eighty-four" (with a LCD monitor embedded in the cover and a hidden miniature video camera so that you see yourself on a screen when you hold the book).

"Minsky is best known for sculptural book works in which he alters an existing or 'found' book. Passionate about social justice and informed by his studies in economics, his metaphorical transmutations may appear amusing or even shocking, thus instigating sustained consideration by the viewer. Time and reflection reveal how a particular title, transmuted through Minsky's ministrations, embodies the ramifications of political maneuvers or social inequalities … 'The Book Art of Richard Minsky' provides an unprecedented opportunity to study these fantastical bookish voyageurs. In addition, this book explores Minsky's other passions, as an experimental printer who collaborates with other artists and writers, and as a collector and scholar of American decorated publishers' bindings. From past to present to future, readers will also view experimental works by Minsky the technophile, ever curious to integrate cutting edge technology into the book's material and metaphor" (Betty Bright).

Richard Minsky founded the Center for Book Arts in 1974. His work has been shown around the world and remains in public collections, including the National Gallery of Art and The Victoria and Albert Museum. He has received many fellowships, grants and awards of recognition, including several from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Book Art of Richard Minsky

Published by George Braziller Inc. Full colour hardcover, 136 pages.

* This review appears in ILAB: http://www.ilab.org/eng/documentation/446-the_book_art_of_richard_minsky.html