the first annual art book fair…

…brings visual literati to downtown los angeles.

from far and wide the visual arts community came out to the geffen contemporary to check the first annual art book fair as presented by printed matter.  opening night was january 31st and ran through february 3. i have to give them kudos for such a diverse representation of art matter ranging from commercial design to self published kick starter projects, original publication art to diy zines.  plenty of one off pieces of local pressed prints adorned the wall and a gagosian tribute to the late artist mike kelley occupied its own gallery space.

from low brow to fine art to art theory (there was even a book on afro american abstraction in art. yes afro, it was the 70’s.) there was something along every cultural line.  what was near and dear to me was the collection of fulton ryder, pulp fiction artist extraordinaire.  i have seen so many of these dime store fantasy smut novels in used bookstores and goodwill bins over the years having laughed at the moronic titles and purchased them as joke gifts for housewarming parties.  it tickles me to see how quaintly cliched the sexual taboos are as compared to today’s conventional attitude towards adult behavior.

at $150k+ a pop, these are the ultimate acquisition of the lowbrow permanent collection.

so now, what did i get?  a book or two to whet my appetite for color, a fashion magazine out of sydney of all places, a vibrant edition of psychedelic tinged graphics and pop imagery and a textile designer’s visual working journal.

hue, kelly wearstler; doingbird magazine (fashion); pop psychedelic, bigbros workshop

lulu, lulu kwiatkowski; color, alexander girard

as the companion to the new york art book fair which happens every fall, i’m looking forward to this growing into a not to be missed annual event!