herman de vries - publisher
At the end of September the book herman de vries - publisher will be published, an overview of the eschenau summer press publications: the artist's publications that de vries has been publishing for fifty years. At the same time, Kunstmuseum Den Haag will open an exhibition combining artworks by herman de vries with a selection of his publications.
Leading artist
herman de vries (without capitals, born in 1931) is one of the most prominent artists of his generation. Originally a botanist, he works mainly with natural materials, such as earth, grass and countless other plants, through which he allows nature to be experienced with a new perspective. Since the 1970s, he has been illuminating parts of nature in sculptures, collages and installations, still consistent with his roots within the ZERO movement.
2. herman de vries, tutto, the eschenau summer press publications °44, 1999 (detail)
Artist publications
Although de vries has been important for the development of the Dutch artist’s book, his work as a publisher is less well known. He has been publishing artist’s publications with his eschenau summer press & temporary travelling press publications for fifty years. From the beginning, he has invited others to publish: likeminded people such as James Lee Byars, Marinus Boezem and, more recently, Melanie Bonajo. These artists are given carte blanche, which results in striking experiments in form and content. More than 75 editions have now appeared in the series, ranging from a radio play with sound recordings of bumblebees to a glass slide that allows the sun to be viewed. All editions are shown in full in herman de vries - publisher and clarified by RKD curators Lynne van Rhijn and Ton Geerts.
4. François Morellet, a badly bound book, the eschenau summer press publications °19, 1982
Exhibition
An exhibition that also focuses on the eschenau summer press publications opens at Kunstmuseum Den Haag on 28 September, framed by early work from the collection. Handmade proofs and correspondence will show how the publications were created. In de vries' own publications, as well as those of the other artists, a lot of use is made of chance. The theme of nature also recurs a lot, for example in susanne de vries' photographs, that show small, spontaneous forms of arrangement. Some of the objects in this exhibition are on loan from the RKD, which houses the archive of herman de vries. The exhibition herman de vries – summer press at Kunstmuseum Den Haag will be on view from 28 September 2024 to 16 February 2025.
herman de vries - publisher is a publication of Waanders Uitgevers and the RKD. It appears in English, has 416 pages, is bound in a 15 x 21 cm format and costs € 49.95. It can be ordered at the RKD webshop and at www.waanders.nl.