Unpaginated. Small 4to, orange pictorial wrappers, staple-bound. Fen Ditton, UK: [1994].

Scarce bookseller’s catalogue with 369 items offered. It includes art books, reference works, exhibition catalogues, and a number of artists’ publications. We note the work of Broodthaers, Buren, Hamilton Finlay, Long, etc.

Near fine; with a few pencil annotations. Cover illustration taken from a Matisse exhibition catalogue (no. 265 in the catalogue). More

Unpaginated. Small 4to, pictorial wrappers, staple-bound. Fen Ditton, UK: [1995].

A scarce bookseller’s catalogue, which presents a choice selection of artists’ books and publications, 268 nos. Among the highlights, we note a complete set of Art-Rite; Gilbert & George’s Dark Shadow (1974); most of the issues of Interfunktionen, Richard Long’s River Avon Book (1979); a nice run of Ruschas; a sizable group of Siegelaub catalogues, etc.

Near fine; staples rusted. Heavily annotated. More

54 pp. Large 4to (275 x 212 mm.), orig. pictorial wrappers, staple-bound. Toronto: 1996.

A rare catalogue distributed by Art Metropole, the first large-scale North American distributor of artists’ publications. The upper wrapper is adorned with General Idea’s “untitled cockroach drawing,” advertising a new series of artists’ pamphlets. The catalogue was designed by Barr Gilmore.

In fine condition. More

Pictorial wrappers designed by Daniel Buren & several black & white illus. Unpaginated. Large 4to (268 x 198 mm.), pictorial wrappers (a little browned), staple-bound. [Toronto: 1983].

A rare catalogue published by Art Metropole, with the design of the wrappers done by Daniel Buren.

Nice copy, a bit browned. More

Cover artwork by Stephen Ellwood. 71 pp. Large 4to (270 x 212 mm.), pictorial wrappers, staple-bound. Toronto: 1998.

[with]:

—. Catalogue No. 20 (Wholesale). Cover artwork by S. Ellwood. 11 pp. Large 4to (265 x 211 mm.), orig. pictorial wrappers, staple-bound. Toronto: 1998. More

Many black & white text illus. [64] pp. Small 8vo (210 x 135 mm.), orig. pictorial wrappers (minor sunning to head & spine), stamped on upper wrapper: “Catalogue No. 3,” address label on lower wrapper, staple-bound. Toronto: 1976.

The corrected second state of the scarce third catalogue distributed by Art Metropole; this copy was mailed to David P. Silcox, the first Senior Arts Officer of the Canada Council for the Arts, who was instrumental in Art Metropole’s securing of grants from the council. Two years before Printed Matter was established in New York, Art Metropole became the first large-scale distributor of artists’ publications in North America. The... More

68 pp. Large 4to (274 x 214 mm.), orig. pictorial wrappers, staple-bound. Toronto: 1992.

A scarce bookseller’s catalogue of artists’ books and publications. Founded in 1974 by General Idea, Art Metropole was the first large-scale North American distributor for this kind of material. The cover was designed by Lise Melhorn-Boe. This catalogue offers the usual array of artists’ publications, many of which are now very scarce.

In near fine condition; small tear on the spine around the lower staple. More

Cover artwork by Stephen Ellwood. 71 pp. Large 4to (270 x 212 mm.), pictorial wrappers, staple-bound. [Toronto]: 1998.

An uncommon catalogue of artists’ books, multiples, audio works, video works, and periodicals. In fine condition.

❧ See “Art Metropole’s Publications and Events History with Related Ephemera, January 1971 – April 2006,“ on the National Gallery of Canada website. More

46 pp. Large 4to (270 x 210 mm.), orig. printed wrappers, staple-bound. [Toronto: 1979].

A very rare and early catalogue published by Art Metropole; unrecorded on WorldCat. On the inside of the upper wrapper, Art Metropole’s archivist Tim Guest lays out a definition of the artist’s book: “Since the early 1960‘ [sic] artists have been producing bookworks as a completely autonomous artform. Different in that they exist outside the traditions of either the ‘literary text’ or the ‘illustrated book’, they are instead books as works of art in themselves. They belong to that movement in art history which seeks to de-emphasize form and aesthetics... More

Cover designed by R. Fones. 64 pp. Large 4to (280 x 220 mm.), pictorial wrappers, staple-bound. [Toronto]: 1993.

An uncommon catalogue of artists’ books, multiples, audio works, video works, and periodicals. In fine condition.

❧ See “Art Metropole’s Publications and Events History with Related Ephemera, January 1971 – April 2006,“ on the National Gallery of Canada website. More

15 black & white illus. [46] pp. (incl. inside of wrappers). Small 8vo (197 x 128 mm.), orig. printed wrappers (spine a little sunned), staple-bound. Toronto: Spring 1975.

An extremely rare and significant catalogue issued by Art Metropole, the first large-scale distributors of artists’ publications, records, and video works in North America. The collective General Idea (AA Bronson, Felix Partz & Jorge Zontal) founded the space in 1974. Bronson inscribed and mailed this catalogue to David P. Silcox, the first Senior Arts Officer of the Canada Council for the Arts, who was instrumental in Art Metropole’s securing of grants from the council.

“If we examine the years in which artist-run spaces were founded, it becomes evident that the heyday of the founding euphoria was the 1970s…Although Ecart came into being in 1969 and MOCA in 1970, the majority of the artist-run spaces were set up some years later: Western Front in 1973, Art Metropole and Zona in 1974, La Mamelle [and Other Books and So] in 1975, Franklin Furnace and Printed Matter in 1976, and Artpool in 1979…Identified as alternative art spaces, nonprofit art organizations, artist-oriented spaces, or artist-run spaces, these places define an area of shared experiences of experimenting with a concept of art that had no boundaries, and they linked art forms and the operating model of collective self-organization into a single venture. The bookshops and publishing activities integrated into the collectives emphasize a central aspect of collective activities: acting and communicating autonomously, and independently of the commercial art business, far beyond geographical boundaries.”–G. Detterer & M. Nannucci, eds., Artist-Run Spaces (2012), pp. 23-25. More

60 pp. & order form. 8vo, printed pictorial wrappers, staple-bound. Toronto: 1990.

A very scarce Art Metropole catalogue, this was the only one issued in 1990 dedicated to bookworks. It consists of an extensive selection of artists’ publications. We find newly published works, a Trade List, and the Catalogue No. 13 Backlist.

In fine & fresh condition. More