The Enduring Challenge of Defining the Artist's Book

In a 2007 article for artpress, the author reflects on the persistent difficulty of defining the term "livre d'artiste" (artist's book). Despite nearly twenty years of effort, a clear definition remains elusive. The author notes that each exhibition and article requires a renewed attempt to explain what an artist's book is not, rather than what it is. The term's success, paradoxically, stems from the generality of the word "artiste," leading any publication loosely related to artists and books to claim the label. The article underscores the term's ambiguity and its widespread, often imprecise, adoption.