Book crossing - curated by Flavio Scaloni

A curation by Flavio Scaloni, Gallery Manager at Galerie Lo Scalo - The theme of The Book—including books, bookshelves, and libraries—is a profound source of artistic inspiration, symbolizing knowledge, history, memory, and the transmission of culture. Psychologically, it suggests introspection, escape, and the weight of human thought. The book as an object also carries a powerful symbolism of authority and sanctity. In Art History, the book has been a consistent motif. After 1950, artists engaged with its form and concept more directly. The tradition of the livre d'artiste (artist's book) flourished, transforming the book structure itself into a work of art. Conceptual artist Marcel Broodthaers created satirical installations using books, famously his Un Coup de Dés Jamais N'Abolira Le Hasard (Image d'Épinal) (1969). Sculptor Jorge Méndez Blake highlights the book's physical power with works like The Impact of a Book, where a book's presence subtly deforms a wall. The world-famous photographer Candida Höfer has extensively documented grand public libraries in her work, capturing the monumental scale of collective knowledge. These contemporary interpretations explore the book not just as content, but as a symbolic object and architectural element.

21 Artworks

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