New book: “Josef Albers: Poems and Drawings”
While Josef Albers is recognized as one of the most important artists and educators of the twentieth century, few are aware of his poetry.
While Josef Albers is recognized as one of the most important artists and educators of the twentieth century, few are aware of his poetry. Josef Albers: Poems and Drawings was originally published in an edition of 500 copies in 1958, with a second edition in 1961. Albers worked closely on the format and design with now legendary graphic designer Norman Ives. Yale art historian George Heard Hamilton was the publisher under the imprint of his own venture, The Readymade Press.
This special fourth edition reproduces the unique design of these early editions, featuring a transparent slipcover over silkscreen, yet it expands upon its predecessors in important ways. New French translations of Albers's original poems, originally written in German or English, are included and laid out in the spirit of the drawings. An appendix presents a selection of additional poems by Albers—some of them published for the first time—and a critical commentary by poet Andrew Seguin that contextualizes Josef Albers: Poems and Drawingsas a unique literary and artistic work among Albers's wide-ranging output.
The book features an afterword by Nicholas Fox Weber, executive director of the Albers Foundation, and an essay by Andrew Seguin. Josef Albers: Poems and Drawings is available from our online bookstore or through Éditions Unes.
