herman de vries publisher
herman de vries (1931) is one of the leading artists of his generation. Since the 1970s, he has been illuminating parts of nature in sculptures, collages and installations, among other things. Less well known is his continuing interest in books, publishing and works with text. The RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History is working on a two-book project on de vries' activities as a publisher, entitled herman de vries publisher.
Goal
The RKD is conducting research into herman de vries' activities as a publisher of artists' books and journals. The research will result in two publications. The first part of herman de vries publisher (autumn 2024) will deal with the artists' book series eschenau summer press & temporary travelling press publications, the second part (autumn 2025) with the various artists' magazines.
herman de vries publisher
The incentive for herman de vries publisher is the artist's donation in 2019 of his personal archive to the RKD. This has since been made publicly available for research. The RKD has chosen to scrutinize his activities as a publisher because they are essential for a better understanding of his oeuvre. Correspondence in particular is a rich source for the research. It contains, for instance, proposals for publications.
Project
From 2022, project leader Lynne van Rhijn, curator of modern and contemporary art, will conduct research into de vries's publications. The results will be presented in the two book publications herman de vries publisher, to be published in autumn 2024 and autumn 2025.
Funding
The RKD received generous grants for this project from the Jaap Harten Fund and the Van Eelen-Weeber Foundation. Curator Lynne van Rhijn was awarded a curatorial fellowship by the Culture Fund to enable her to devote much of her time to the project.
Description
In addition to introductory essays, the two book publications provide context for all the summer press issues and show a wide selection from all the journals published by de vries. The essays are written by Lynne van Rhijn and Ton Geerts, senior curator of modern and contemporary art.