Printed Matter
Printed Matter art bookshop in New York is a rare breed- a retail venture that puts principles before profit.
Art matters
New York
“For us, a best-seller is a book that sells five copies a month,” says Catherine Krudy, Printed Matter’s acting associate director. Not much by traditional bookstore standards but sizeable considering that Printed Matter is home to 15,000 publications by 5,000 artists.
The well-stocked store in Chelsea is a non-profit organisation founded 33 years ago by artists and art workers. Its primary activity is distributing affordably priced, often self-published, editions of art books.
“The idea is to have an even playing field where a book by somebody who has had solo exhibitions at MOMA is next to a book by someone who lives in the middle of Iowa,” says Krudy.
The majority of titles come through an open submission policy. Executive director AA Bronson and Krudy receive 300 a month – approximately 170 make it to the bookshelves.
The New York Art Books Fair launched by Printed Matter almost four years ago has been a success and more off-site events are planned. This July, Printed Matter will be in Europe with exhibitions at Badischer Kunstverein in Karlsruhe, Germany, and Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y León in Spain.
Printed Matter, 195 Tenth Avenue, New York, 10011
Printed Matter’s top five picks:
1.
Lisa Anne Auerbach ‘Charted Patterns for Sweaters That Talk Back’
Off-kilter instructions for sweaters with slogans.
2.
John Baldessari ‘Brown and Green and Other Parables’
Cautionary tales in the artist’s typically dry style.
3.
Philip Aarons and AA Bronson, editors, ‘Queer Zines’
A compendium, not a pop-up book.
4.
Josh Smith ‘Tennessee Fish’
A study of the classification of nature in sketchbook form.
5.
Kim Beck ‘A Field Guide To Weeds’
A beautifully bound world where weeds rule.
