Autobiography Sol LeWitt 1980

Sol LeWitt.

Multiples Inc. & Lois and Michael K. Torf. New York & Boston. 1980. First edition, sole impression. Paperback, square 4to; white wrappers with printed title with illustrated dust jacket. [126 pages]. 1116 b&w photographs reproduced in a grid format. English. 260 x 260mm. 0.8kg. 9780960558001. Near fine; slightly over-opened between two leaves; a very fresh and clean copy.

Sol LeWitt presents his life to the reader by photographing every single object in his studio space in New York City. Each page of the book features nine photographs in a grid format, with each item given equal prominence. The photographs move from the general to the specific, starting with images of the floor and pipework and moving through furniture, kitchen utensils, plants, shoes, books, artworks, photographs, and ending with lightbulbs and clocks. Despite the personal subject matter, the formalist nature of the book acts as an emotional barrier between artist and viewer. 'LeWitt chooses to bare himself, yet also to filter the facts about his own existence. He presents a personal and subjective statement, promising an intimate look that is not fulfilled, since the statement is controlled and formalized by the rigorous framework in which it is contained, and by the fact that we are glimpsing an artistic ego more than a life.' (Parr and Badger).   [Further Reading - Roth, Aarons & Lehmann, 'Artists Who Make Books', pp. 174-75; Parr & Badger, 'The Photobook: A History Volume II', p.155; Auer, '802 Photo Books', p.624; Hasselblad Center, 'The Open Book', pp.322-23]