On February 11, 2021, the Library of Congress announced they had received a private donation, known as the Aramont Library, containing rare books by important authors and artists. In addition, the Aramont Foundation donated a $1 million endowment to fund virtual public programming beginning in 2021.
The Aramont Library began in the early 1980s and contains 1,700 volumes, comprised of literary first editions, illustrated books, exhibition bindings, finely bound author collections, and books by some of the most influential artists of the 19thand 20th centuries. It also includes rich examples from the livre d'artist movement of the 20th century.
In this episode, I interview Gordon Hollis, owner of Golden Legend Inc. and curator of the Aramont Library.
Links for this episode:
The Aramont Library at the Library of Congress
Gordon Hollis: Golden Legend Inc.
Gordon compiled a list of reference works related to the French illustrated book, the livre d’artiste:
“There are two general categories for these reference works. The first is a bibliography that lists selected important books in the field.”
The Art of the French illustrated book 1700-1914. Two vols. Gordon N. Ray, 1982
A Century of Artists Books. Riva Castleman.1995
The Arts of the French Book 1900-1965. Eleanor Garvey & Peter A. Wick. Dallas: SMU Press, 1967
Les peintres et le Livre 1867-1957. Geneva: Nicolas Rauch, 1957
“Secondly, many artists have a catalog raisonné (or critical catalog) compiled, which is a comprehensive, annotated listing of all the known artwork either in a particular medium or all media. For example, I use the following. These comprehensive catalogs are published for the illustrated books of Miro, Matisse, Braque, Bonnard, and dozens of other artists.”