Diane Arbus, The Libraries, Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco, 2004

This rather interesting hard cover panoramic accordion is presented in a slip case and documents some of the contents of Diane Arbus' library as presented in the international museum retrospective Diane Arbus Revelations which was organized by the SF Museum of Modern Art in 2003. Underneath each book and selected photographs is a description of the individual item.

This is a nice use of the accordion format to document a particularly linear strcuture with the added appeal of sneaking a look at what kinds of books & photographs this distinguished photographer felt worthy of collecting and preserving. Tucked into the back cover is a booklet that contains a detailed bibliography of all the books in this publication.

Thirty-one pages at 7" x 11" each, with an extended width of 28' 5" 

Partial view of the book

The opened book is titled "Perspective of Nudes, Bill Brandt."

The caption for the center photograph is "Allan Arbus 8 x 10 film test on Diane Arbus, circa 1949."

Daisuke Ichiba & Pakito Bolino, Kuso-Tare Badakito, La Dernier Cri, Marseilles, ed. 200, 2012

Another incredible publication from La Dernier Cri, this one is a collaboration between the Japanese artist Daisuke Ichiba and Dernier Cri co-founder Pakito Bolino. Ichiba's spindly drawings of young girls in all sorts of weird situations is a mash-up of manga with his own very individual style and is known as "Ero-Guru." Pakito's much bolder but no less uncompromising work serves as an interesting foil to Ichiba's drawing style. The book has a bunch of crazy accordion fold-outs just sprouting all over the place. Single page 8.25" x 6" For more books and prints from Dernier Cri go to: la dernier cri

Daisuke Ichiba pages.

Pakito Bolino pages.

Front and back of book and extended pages spread out.

Peter Strehle, Lost Stories, Edition Taube, Stuttgart, 2013, ed. 100.

A cool boxed set of 10 accordions of varying lengths created by Strehle from Polaroids that he purchased from Ebay and then reinscribed them with his own 'story' or thematic context. It's fascinating how little suggestion we need as viewers in order to read the 'stories' that Strehle sets up with his titles. This was one of the accordions I found from my recent visit to the New York Art Book fair. If you're into artists' books of all stripes I strongly suggest a visit to next year's fair. Dimensions for individual pages 4.25" x 3.5." Check out his site at: Edition Taube

"Candy Andy made the deal"

"Do you remember Terry?"

"Did she notice Something?"

"You know what to do..."

"Johnny"

"What happened to Samantha?"

"George Fly"

"Last Night" 

"Mrs. O'Doglas"

Remi, L'art de La Guerre, Le Dernier Cri, Marseilles, 2011, ed. 200

Another superb publication from La Dernier Cri. No words needed to describe what is happening here. Double-sided, 8 individual pages at 1.75" x 6" and fully extended 4'.

Kyle Platts, Festival Frenzy, Nobrow Press, London, 2013

Another wonderful double-sided panoramic accordion from Nobrow Press' leporello series. This one features the work of the Brit illustrator Kyle Platts and it's an incredible pantheon to the English obsession with music festivals. Minutely detailed in outrageous fluorescent colors all the various types of festival attendees come to life in Platts' signature cartoon characters, and it just bubbles with fun and humor. This is one of my favorites from this great series.

20 pages (13" x 7.75") and fully extended at 6' 5.5." Buy it here: Browsing for Products

On Vesa-Pekka Rannikko's Art, Frame Publications, Finland, ed. 8000, 2011

An interesting example of the genre of exhibition-catalogue-as-accordion. This book includes an essay and interview by curator Laura Koonikka with Finnish artist Vesa-Pekka Rannikko about his work and more specifically the preparatory work he was doing for an installation in the Alvar Aalto pavilion for the Venice Biennale in 2011. Since the Aalto pavilion is a work of art in itself it became a bit confusing separating Rannikko's invovlement with the nature of the space and Aalto's involvement with the same as embodied in this structure. Indeed, one might understand this catalogue to be a dialogue about one work of art that was to be placed within another work of art, all of this overlayed with Rannikko's own aesthetic concerns that in itself involves his overpainting of anonymous works of art by amateur painters.

It could be worthwhile to explore further the history of accordion exhibition catalogues. From my experience as a curator they represent one of the most economical means of presenting a limited amount of didactic material in an easily accessible format. 18 pages (13' x 4.25") fully extended 6' 4.5".

Many thanks to Dave Dyment up in Toronto who is the founder of the really wonderful blog "Artists' Books and Multiples," who sent me this catalogue. Check out his site at: Artists' Books and Multiples

Golden Cosmos, High Times, Nobrow Press, London, 2012

Another cool accordion from Nobrow press' concertina/accordion series. With its wraparound cover and potted history, this two-sided panorama is a skillfully illustrated and lively history of aviation.

10 pages at 9.25" x 5.5," and total width when open 4' 7."