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Wrapped in Color: Lithographic Book Covers and Jackets, 1890-1970
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On view through May 31, 2009 at the Caroline Wiess Law Building
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Marc Chagall, Verve: nos. 33 &34, 1956
© Paris: Editions de la Revue Verve, 1956
At the turn of the 20th century, book jackets for hardbound books (called ´wrappers´)—along with covers for softbound books and periodicals—became a major focus of design as publishers began to exploit the marketing potential. This exhibition presents a selection of rare lithographic book covers and jackets created in France by artists including Georges Braque, Marc Chagall, Henri Matisse, and Pablo Picasso.
Lithography is a printing method in which the design is drawn on a slab of fine-grained stone with a greasy crayon, rather than cut or etched into a metal plate or wood block. The process is based upon the principle that the greasy areas will accept ink while the non-greasy areas will not.
The ease of drawing with a lithographic crayon—and the medium´s potential for large print-runs—encouraged artists and publishers to use lithography for popular and ´practical´ purposes, including theater programs, sheet music, and book covers.
In the 21st century, the idea of using original works of art to ´protect´ books seems paradoxical. But more than 100 years ago, lithography offered a new arena for artistic experimentation as demonstrated by the examples from the MFAH collection on view in this installation.
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