David Hockney, David Hockney: A Year in Normandie, Museum Würth, Künzelsan, Germany, 2023

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Accompanied by a 30 page introduction which includes Hockney's own words and snippets from interviews, this cool accordion catalogue reproduces in 17.8 metres (53ft 10") the 220 iPad paintings that Hockney created between 2020-2021 from his house in the middle of a field in Normandy. The works in the exhibition were presented as one long continuous scroll and it invited the viewer to experience the very different way of seeing embedded in the long narrative sequences of the scroll format and their lack of one-point perspective.

In the introductory essay Hockney relates how he had been smitten with the scroll format upon being shown one that was 30 metres long in 1983 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, that illustrated the Emperor of China inspecting the canal between Wuxi and Suzhou. Hockney described this experience as "...one of the most exciting days of my life," further remarking that "In Chinese scrolls, you walked through the landscape - it was not a window, looking out; you were in it."

Hockney's scroll documents one year in Normandie and he particularly chose this location because of the different types of blossoms in the landscape with his own property hosting apple, pear, cherry and plum trees. 

Accompanying this accordion is a slim catalogue titled "David Hockney and the Würth Collection" and it documents the museum's relationship with Hockney and is illustrated his works in their collection along with an examination of his working methods.

David Hockney was born in Bradford in 1937 and died in 2026 in London, UK.

68 single-sided pages, individually 7" x 9.5, and when unfolded 53ft 10" (17.8 metres)

the two catalogues

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R. Clarke-Davis, a commonplace book: hiatus, kiddie viddy press, 2026

     

A rather interesting 3-in-one accordion from this long time contributor to this blog. As you can see from the photos above Clarke-Davis has constructed a binding structure that incorporates three accordions. The 'hiatus' of the title would seem to be illustrated by the themes of the three accordions with their concentration on nature's landscape, as well as the more intimate domestic landscape, all set within a snowy wintery landscape. No people, but the detritus of lives lived. 

10 single-sided pages, individually 4.25" x 6", and when opened 5ft 

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Emily Sutton, Tin Toys (2 greeting cards), Art Angels Publishing, Norwich, UK

Two delightful and whimsical accordion gift cards with cut-out images from popular culture and the circus, amongst other things!

4 single-side pages, individually 6.5" x 5.5", and when fully opened 22".

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4 single-side pages, individually 6.5" x 5.5", and when opened 22".

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Anonymous, Folded Greeting Card, UK, nd

 

Just couldn't resist this accordion folded greeting card with six cut-out pigeons. 

6 single-sided pages, individually 6" x 4" and when fully opened 2ft wide.

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Rodger Binyone, Syzygy Manoeuvres, NO-Man Press No 22, Philadelphia, 2025, ed. 300

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This is a beautifully designed and printed risograph accordion that depicts a fantastical & dystopian world that seems to be in the process of being taken over by malign entities. This publication is just one issue in Binyone's NO-Man Press continuing series which features his work as he explores a wide variety of visual and thematic concerns. 

Based in Philadelphia Rodger Binyone is an artist and illustrator who has exhibited throughout the Philadelphia area and also has work included in the Museum of Modern Art, Library Collection, New York.

7 double-sided pages, individually 8" x 5.5", and when fully opened 3ft 3.5".

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Sibyl Selldorff Rubottom, ABC of Covid, Sibyl Line Press, 2021

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I'm sharing Rubottom's artists' statement that came with the purchase of this Abecadarium book as it eloquently sums up how this accordion arose as a response to the extraordinary world we were all living in after the Covid epidemic got underway. It's interesting that she adopted the format of the childhood Abecadarium to explore the new language(s) that were developing during this unprecedented time in world history.

"We share our experience in many ways, but perhaps language is the most universal. And our language starts with the alphabet.

This Abecdarium (alphabet book) is my interpretation of the vocabulary that emerged as the pandemic overtook us in 2020 and 2021, exploring the unexpected words that became common connections for us all. Here I offer an archive of the cultural lexicon to reflect the worldwide experience that has altered our lives so dramatically.

Originally a single edition artist book, letterpress printed using Dunn-Edwards color sample sheets, and hand bound, this facsimile edition makes the work more available, without compromising quality. This hand-bound, accordion-fold artist book, when fully opened extends to a length of 18feet (by 8 inches hight)."

54 double-sided pages, individually 8" x 4.25", and when unfolded 18ft 5"

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