‘Documents’ series – curatorial theory & contemporary art

The Documents series is published by JRP|Ringier (one of our biggest publishers) in partnership with Les Presses du réel. Directed by curator/publishers Lionel Bovier and Xavier Douroux, this ever expanding softback theory series is dedicated to writings by critics and curators questioning the current state of artistic and curatorial practices.

By far the bestselling volume in the Documents series is the iconic A Brief History of Curating by Hans Ulrich Obrist, arguably the world’s most prolific and respected curator. It is a classic in the field of curatorial theory. The anthology is dedicated to pioneering curators and presents a unique collection of interviews by Obrist. The contributions map the development of the curatorial field, from early independent curating in the 1960s and 1970s to the present day. Includes interviews with curators such as Harald Szeemann, Lucy Lippard and Walter Hopps.

In the Autumn two new volumes in the series are being published:

Between-the-Images written by the film theorist Raymond Bellour. First published in French in 1990, this volume brings together 20 of Bellour’s essays written between 1981 and 1989. Considering the works and the strategies of artists and filmmakers such as Jean Eustache, Jean-Luc Godard, Chris Marker, and Bill Viola, Bellour examines the rise of moving images, putting emphasis on a dual relationship: how film looks at painting, and how language inspires images.

Artist-Run Spaces is an anthology of texts developed in collaboration with founders of important and exemplary artist-run spaces of the 1960s and 1970s. It represents the first extensive research on this subject and introduces spaces such as Art Metropole in Toronto, Ecart in Geneva and Printed Matter in New York among others. At a time of transition to new aesthetic approaches, their artists promoted community spirit and organizational skills, pioneering a revaluation of traditional art concepts.

Take a look at this great series of books in our bookstore, below…