Bound to Amaze: Inside a Book-Collecting Career

Artist's book resembling a salad in a bowl. Constructed of Tyvek that has been painted in swirling greens and map-folded to look like leaves of lettuce, there is poem written on the inner the leaves.
Jul 20 to Nov 25, 2018

This focus exhibition celebrates the vision of Krystyna Wasserman, curator emerita, who assembled NMWA’s collection of more than 1,000 artists’ books over a thirty-year period. Although Wasserman also procured exquisite texts made through the time-honored processes of printing and binding, Bound to Amaze centers on her discovery of books created through inventive techniques such as carving, piercing, pleating, and curling.

A number of featured works are dramatically sculptural in form, made from materials including linen, wood, and semi-precious stone. With subjects ranging from Shakespeare’s Desdemona to the pleasures of eating, the books also reveal Wasserman’s love of drama and whimsy. This presentation offers a glimpse into her curatorial process, focusing on the friendships she has built with artists through the years based on their shared passion for the book art genre.

Recently retired from the museum, Wasserman first served as director of NMWA’s Library and then as a curator of contemporary art. Through her expert work, the museum has become a world-renowned repository for artists’ books. Bound to Amaze includes many visitor favorites along with new acquisitions being exhibited for the first time.

The small seed of a tropical fruit sits on top of a square wooden base that reads Libro-Seme. Inside the seed are cut sheets of music filling the seed like a book.

Elisabetta Gut, Libro-Seme (Seed-Book), 1983; Tropical fruit and pages of musical notes on Japanese paper, 3 1/4 x 3 1/2 x 3 in.; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of the artist; © Elisabetta Gut; Photo by Lee Stalsworth

Exhibition Sponsors

Bound to Amaze: Inside a Book-Collecting Career, presented in the Teresa Lozano Long Gallery of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, is organized by the museum and made possible by Mrs. Marjorie B. Rachlin. Additional support is provided by Julie and Jon Garcia.

    Exhibition Gallery

    A stuffed, pillow-like box in beige holds an illustrated book with fabric pages. Three drawings of people sleeping fill the open book.
    Sandra March, "Es Quan Dorms que hi veig clar..." (It's when I sleep I see all clearly..."); Photolithography and linen, 17 x 18 1/2 x 4 in.; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Purchased from the funds donated by NMWA Book Arts Fellows; © Alejandra Colell Pinell (Sandra March); Photo by Lee Stalsworth
    Artist's book resembling a salad in a bowl. Constructed of Tyvek that has been painted in swirling greens and map-folded to look like leaves of lettuce, there is poem written on the inner the leaves.
    Katherine A. Glover, Green Salad, 2001; Vellum, acrylic on Tyvek, semi-precious beads, and ribbon, Museum purchase: Library and Research Center Acquisition Fund; © Katherine A. Glover; Photo by Lee Stalsworth
    The small seed of a tropical fruit sits on top of a square wooden base that reads Libro-Seme. Inside the seed are cut sheets of music filling the seed like a book.
    Elisabetta Gut, Libro-Seme (Seed-Book), 1983; Tropical fruit and pages of musical notes on Japanese paper, 3 1/4 x 3 1/2 x 3 in.; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of the artist; © Elisabetta Gut; Photo by Lee Stalsworth
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    The Artist,

    Carol June Barton

    Carol Barton teaches book art classes all over the U.S., she has curated many exhibitions of book arts, and she is the author of a series of interactive workbook.
    A light-skinned adult woman grins at the viewer, displaying a gap-toothed smile. She has chin-length gray hair and is working on a pop-up book depicting a tall white tower emerging from a white piece of paper on a cutting mat. Behind her are labeled bins of book art materials.

    The Artist,

    Mirella Bentivoglio

    Mirella Bentivoglio is known for her exploration of the relationship between image and word.
    Close-up black and white photo of an older woman with light skin and cropped hair. She holds up two small, speckled eggs to her eyes, the right one just visible. She sits in a bright, sun-lit room, a window on her right and wears a dark blazer and wrist watch.

    The Artist,

    Katherine Glover

    In addition to traditional tools and techniques, such as paper, printing press, and encaustic—Katherine Glover also explores experimental materials and processes.
    A light-skinned adult woman with short brown hair stands in front of a blank wall. Her head is turned to her right, her right arm is stretched out, and her left arm is bent in front of her chest. She wears a sheer white long-sleeve blouse with long white hanging threads.

    The Artist,

    Elisabetta Gut

    Endowed with an aura of originality and poetic whimsy, Elisabetta Gut’s book objects must be seen rather than read.
    Wearing a black turtleneck sweater, a light skinned woman leans on her jacked with her chin resting on her arm. She has straight, dark hair that is pulled back by a headband, and stares directly at the viewer.

    The Artist,

    Audrey Niffenegger

    Audrey Niffenegger, author of bestselling novels The Time Traveler’s Wife and Her Fearful Symmetry, is also a renowned book artist, painter, and printmaker.
    A light-skinned adult woman smiles while standing against a white wall beside two paintings that resemble her in theatrical costumes. She has long red hair, and wears glasses, earrings, and a brown jacket over a matching brown dress with subtle, organic stripes on them.

    The Artist,

    Jan Owen

    Music is an important source of inspiration for the work of book artist Jan Owen.
    An older light-skinned woman with short white hair wears glasses and a long-sleeve blue top. She stands inside, holding open a large black book with an abstract gold design printed across two pages and unreadable gold writing.

    The Artist,

    Elena Presser

    Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, book artist Elena Presser moved with her family to the U.S. in 1966; she has become known for creating visual interpretations of music.
    An older light-skinned woman with short, dark, curly hair looks directly at the viewer. Posed from the chest up against a light grey background, she wears a darker grey sweater, eye glasses, pearl earrings, and lipstick.

    The Artist,

    Renée Stout

    Renée Stout is a Washington, D.C., artist whose paintings and sculptures have earned her international recognition.
    " A black-and-white photograph of Renee Stout. With medium-brown skin and thick dreadlocks, and clad in a dark jacket, she looks away from the camera as she leans against a wall. Her figure casts a looming shadow against the wall."

    The Artist,

    M. L. Van Nice

    Influenced deeply by the work of El Greco and Marcel Duchamp, M. L. Van Nice transforms objects into works of art, creating new poetic and visual context.
    Black and white photo of a middle-aged woman with short grey hair and light skin. She sits against a wall and looks down, her glasses sliding down her nose slightly. She has an expression of concentration, as if she is focusing on something in her hands.

    The Artist,

    Claire Van Vliet

    Her early exposure to nature heightened Claire Van Vliet’s interest in the outdoors and influenced her desire to celebrate the landscape in her book artwork.
    A black-and-white photograph of a light-skinned adult woman with close-cropped light colored, straight hair. She is smiling and wearing a dark colored turtleneck shirt. She is shown from the neck up against a black background.