The Book鈥檚 Undoing: Dieter Roth鈥檚 Artist鈥檚 Books exhibit is on display now through May 15 at the 麻豆影院 Special Collections Reading Room in Norlin Library. The show features Dieter Roth鈥檚 Gesammelte Werke (Collected Works), a 26-volume self-published catalog of reconstructed versions of his books.
Dieter Roth (1930-1998) was a poet, artist, and master printmaker. Born in Hannover, Germany to a Swiss father and German mother, Roth was evacuated at age 13 from war-torn Germany to Z眉rich. He began a pursuit of art and poetry during the several years he was separated from his parents. Roth鈥檚 interests would lead him to collaborate with concrete poet Eugen Gomringer, artist Daniel Spoerri, and many other influential figures in the decades after World War II. His acute fascination with poetry, design, and print compelled him to experiment with books and bookmaking.
Roth鈥檚 innovative use of the book as an artistic medium has contributed to his reputation as one of the most original and imaginative post-war European book artists. Many of his books function as diaries documenting his daily activities and obsessive creative outpouring. Others, made by collaging accumulated studio waste, serve as tribute to his life and artistic pursuits.
Launched in 1969, Gesammelte Werke took Roth over 10 years to complete and involved collecting, editing, revising, expanding, and in some cases embellishing his unique and previously published works. Gesammelte Werke is not a chronological presentation of Roth鈥檚 activities, but rather an artistic archival undertaking.
The Book鈥檚 Undoing: Dieter Roth鈥檚 Artist鈥檚 Books was curated by German PhD candidate Maggie Rosenau, who is also enrolled in the Museum Studies Certification Program. The exhibit is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and an opening reception will be held Wednesday, March 11 at 4 p.m. in the Norlin Library Special Collections Reading Room.
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Pictured, curator听Maggie Rosenau with Rosenau Volume 9. Photo credit: Michael Harris.