Tickets
Gallery
20.06.25 > 07.09.25
Comic books as livres-objets
When form and content stand on equal ground
Whether in the form of leporellos, pop-ups, folds, cut-outs, or books with other surprising formats, livres-objets are creations where form is just as important as content.
While the English term artist’s book is often used, it typically refers to the book as a vehicle for artistic expression. This exhibition, however, deliberately retains the French term livre-objet (French for book-object), to emphasize a fundamental principle: that form and content stand on equal ground.
Comics, too, have explored this terrain—though such experiments remained relatively rare throughout the twentieth century. It was only from the mid-2000s onward that the production of comics as livres-objets began to flourish. In tandem with the rise of blogs and webcomics, and in response to the dominance of screens, the Ninth Art reaffirmed its bond to the object, to materiality, and to the tactile.
These works are costly to manufacture and time-consuming to make by hand. As a result, they are typically produced in small print runs and seldom reissued. The recent surge in paper prices may already signal the end of this prolific era.
This exhibition presents a diverse selection of livres-objets, including a number of unique and rarely seen pieces.
