Ex Libris - Hardcover

Taking the book as his subject, the written word as his object, Gibson constructs an idealized library a collection of signs, letterforms, shapes, and images drawn from masterpieces throughout history. Featuring the handwriting of Bach, Balzac, and Kafka, as well as early typography and digital technology, Gibson's photographs treat these images as icons, investing each with a meaning beyond the aesthetic and commenting at the same time on our values of meaning and beauty. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Ralph Gibson’s forty-year career has garnered him fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as the Leica Medal of Excellence. He is an Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France, and holds honorary doctorates from the University of Maryland and Ohio Wesleyan University. Featured in hundreds of exhibitions, Gibson’s photographs are included in over 150 museum collections worldwide. Gibson lives in New York.