The New York Times reports that Printed Matter is moving to a new location designed by Handel Architects. One reason for the move is the growing interest in books created by artists. The President of Printed Matter’s board even seems to suggest that art books are a good place to get capital appreciation:
“Even though people run around saying the book is dead, we’ve seen the interest in artist publications — both among artists and the general public — has really risen,” said Philip Aarons, the board president of Printed Matter. In 2006 the group introduced an annual art book fair in New York that drew 6,000 visitors; last year 35,000 people attended. Its success spawned a companion fair in Los Angeles in 2013 that has more than doubled in attendance, with 35,000 visitors this year. Printed Matter offers its entire inventory of about 15,000 titles by more than 6,000 artists at mostly modest prices, in line with the founders’ belief that artists’ books were part of a more accessible and egalitarian vision of art.
“Even though those Ed Ruscha books that were $5 in the 1970s are now $10,000 today, that democratic principle is still important to us,” Mr. Aarons said, adding, “We have new $5 books.”
Los Angeles Temple Chooses Koolhaas for a Grand Expansion (NYTimes.com)
