Printed Matter, Inc
Printed Matter, Inc.'s storefront
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 Location within New York City
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| Established | 1976 |
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| Location | 231 Eleventh Avenue New York, NY 10001 |
| Coordinates | 40°45′03″N 74°00′23″W / 40.750941°N 74.006448°WCoordinates: 40°45′03″N 74°00′23″W / 40.750941°N 74.006448°W |
| Type | Distributor Publisher Exhibitor |
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| Website | printedmatter |
Printed Matter, Inc. is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit grant-supported bookstore, artist organization, and arts space presently located at 231 11th Avenue in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City. Printed Matter focuses on publications made and distributed by artists. Printed Matter has been described as the CBGB of independent book sellers.
Initially publishing artist's books, Printed Matter, Inc. was founded by a group of artists in 1976 as a for-profit art space in the Tribeca neighborhood of New York City. The idea behind publishing artist's books, initiated by artist Sol LeWitt, was that instead of producing free, promotional items from art dealers, the artist's books Printed Matter would create would be serious, unique publications made by artists, not dealers. The name "artist's book" was coined from an 1973 exhibition held at Moore College of Art and Design that Dianne Perry Vanderlip curated; the name Printed Matter came after that event.
Printed Matter is one of only a few organizations that creates and distributes artists' books, incorporating self-publishing, small press publishing, and artist networks and collectives. Historically there was no lack of publishers of these works, but there was a real need for distributors; Printed Matter functions as a distribution agency and as well as a publisher of "bookworks" created by artists like Sol LeWitt. Another descriptor that is useful in describing the materials produced by Printed Matter is book art. The works published by Printed Matter are editioned and are conceived by artists as art works; however, they are not the expensive book arts / book objects but are often mass-produced in large batches of affordable editions.
Among the collective of artists involved from the beginning were Sol LeWitt, Lucy Lippard, Carol Androcchio (who later married LeWitt), Amy Baker (Sandback), Edit DeAk, Mike Glier, Nancy Linn, Walter Robinson, Ingrid Sischy, Pat Steir, Mimi Wheeler, Robin White and Irena von Zahn.
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