Many black & white illus. 16 pp. Small folio (295 x 210 mm.), orig. semi-stiff pictorial wrappers, staple-bound. Tokyo: Galere Watari, 1983.

A rare exhibition catalogue for Kawara’s bookwork One Million Years. The exhibition took place at Galerie Watari in Tokyo from 27 October to 30 November. With a useful biography of the artist at the end. The present exhibition was held concurrently with another one of Kawara’s work at the Galerie Watari: Date Paintings 1981-1983.

Founded in 1972 by Shizuko Watari (1932-2012), Galerie Watari hosted exhibitions by Haring, Broodthaers, Nam June Paik, and Shinro Ohtake. The gallery closed in 1989... More

Color illustrations throughout (on covers & inside of covers). [10] leaves. Tall 8vo, semi-stiff pictorial covers, stitched. Paris: Musée d'art moderne de la ville de Paris, [1987].

A rather scarce and nicely illustrated exhibition catalogue/artist’s book stemming from LeWitt's 1987 exhibition in Paris. Two publications were realized in conjunction with the occasion, the other, entitled Four Colors and All Their Combinations, consists of 20 leaves and has the exhibition's dates as 20 February-19 April. It focuses on single colors and their transformations when mixed, while the present book reproduces Wall Drawings of geometrical shapes. As indicated by the text on the lower... More

1 p.l., ii, 152 pp. 12mo (153 x 100 mm.), cont. pink paste-paper boards (spine sunned), green morocco lettering-piece on spine. Paris: L’Imprimerie des Sciences et Arts, [?1801].

The second printing of this exhibition livret, describing 945 works (the first printing recorded only 944 works). This copy was bound for Auguste Gaspard Louis Desnoyers (1779-1857), premier Graveur du Roi. The present catalogue combines the contents of two great exhibitions, the first of French and Flemish pictures, the other consisting of Italian paintings looted from Lombardy and Bologna. Both were held in the grande Galerie of the Musée central des Arts (now the Louvre)... More

140 pp. 12mo (150 x 95 mm.), cont. gray wrappers, label in manuscript on spine, stitched as issued. Paris: L. P. Dubray, 1811.

First and only edition of the uncommon catalogue of the two-part exhibition of paintings, drawings, and sculpture held in the Musée Napoléon (the name of the Louvre from 1804 to 1815). The first portion lists 681 drawings, paintings, and sculptures. It included the work of artists such as Albani, del Sarto, Botticelli, Canaletto, the Carracci, da Vinci, Mantegna, Michelangelo, Murillo, Veronese, Raphael, Tintoretto, Vasari, Dürer, van Dyck, A. van Ostade, Joshua Reynolds, Rubens, Bouchardon, Le Brun, Claude Lorrain, Poussin, Watteau, etc.... More

2 p.l., 127 pp. 12mo (153 x 100 mm.), cont. pink paste-paper boards, green morocco lettering-piece on spine. Paris: L’Imprimerie des Sciences et Arts, n.d. [but ca. 1802].

The catalogue for a controversial exhibition of antiquities confiscated from Italy. According to the bibliographical research of Jean Joseph Marquet de Vasselot (see below), and Etienne Michon in his “Bibliographie des Catalogues du Musée des Antiques du Louvre” (1914-15), the present livret is a later printing of a catalogue first issued in 1800 at the time of the exhibition’s opening. The present book, like all five preceding printings, is strangely numbered starting with no... More

184 pp. 12mo (155 x 95 mm.), cont. pink wrappers, label in manuscript on spine, stitched as issued. Paris: L. P. Dubray, 1811.

[with]:

(—). Supplément à la Notice des Antiques du Musée Napoléon, contenant l’indication des Monuments exposés dans la Salle des Fleuves. 1 p.l., v, 24 pp. 12mo (150 x 95 mm.), cont. pink wrappers, title in manuscript on spine, stitched as issued. Paris: L. P. Dubray, 1811. More

ii, 109 pp. 12mo (155 x 100 mm.), cont. orange paste-paper wrappers (extremities a little frayed), label in manuscript on upper cover, stitched as issued. Paris: Dubray, 1807.

A livret documenting the sculptures, antiquities, paintings, and drawings assembled for an exhibition celebrating the French victory at the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt (1806). This catalogue consists of 710 entries, many extensively described with scholarly notes. Artists whose works were shown include J. Asselijn, Bakhuizen, Bega, Bol, S. Bourdon, Brauwer, Canaletto, An. Carracci, Cranach, Dow, Dürer, van Eyck, both Poussin, Giorgione, H. Holbein, Jordaens, Lairesse, A. Mignon, A. & I. van Ostade, Potter, Rembrandt, Rubens, ter Borch... More

152 pp. Small 8vo (159 x 100 mm.), cont. paste-paper wrappers (spine partly perished), stitched as issued. Paris: L. P. Dubray, 1810.

First edition of this uncommon exhibition guide and catalogue. Customarily, the French school would appear last in such guides; however, here, the school is placed first. This catalogue lists 1233 paintings, which were displayed in the portion of the Louvre renamed to celebrate Napoleon. This exhibition constituted a magnificent display of Old Masters.

Very good copy. More

Color illus. throughout. [32] pp. 8vo, orange printed wrappers, staple-bound. Athens, Greece: Bernier/Eliades Gallery & Agra Publications, 2013.

Scarce Annette Messager (b. 1943) exhibition catalogue that is beautifully illustrated with installation photographs. With a text by the critic and curator Bernard Marcadé in French, English, and Greek.

Fine. WorldCat records copies at the following American institutions: Magazzino, MoMA, and the National Museum of Women in the Arts. More

Full-bleed black & white illus. 12 pp. Oblong 4to, printed wrappers, staple-bound. Vienna: Galerie Grita Insam, 1984.

Rare Annette Messager (b. 1943) exhibition catalogue, published by the Galerie Grita Insam in Vienna. With installation shots and text by critic Bernard Marcadé in French and German.

Fine copy. More

1 p.l., 63 pp. (i.e., pp. 241-301). Large 8vo (250 x 163 mm.), orig. orange printed wrappers (spine a little rubbed), leaves uncut. Besançon: Jacques & Demontrond, 1916.

The scarce offprint, with new pagination, of Michon’s groundbreaking critical bibliography of early exhibition catalogues published by the Musée des Antiques. Michon (1865-1939), curator of antiquities at the Louvre and respected connoisseur, published two important catalogues on the Louvre’s holdings of antiquities. He also made numerous acquisitions of artifacts now considered foundational to the Louvre’s collections.

This work exhaustively examines 22 catalogues from 1800 to 1816. Michon undertakes a bibliographic survey... More

Full-bleed color illus. throughout. [70] pp. (incl. inside of wrappers). Small 8vo, pictorial wrappers, staple-bound. Midlothian, UK: Show & Tell Editions, 2015.

Rare Jonathan Monk (b. 1969) exhibition catalogue. Published in 2015, this catalogue records a peculiar 2012 exhibition of 64 works by the artist. The curator Paul Robertson was given permission to stage a show at Summerhall in a hidden attic. Only 129 people were able to see it. This is basically a thorough photographic bibliography of books and ephemera by the artist.

In fine condition. We locate just two copies in North America: Delaware and Ohio State. More