Artists' Personal Libraries as Sites of Art Historical Inquiry

Artists' personal libraries are an important, yet underacknowledged, resource for art historical research. Often known through inventories, institutions have increasingly turned toward preserving such collections as sites of knowledge as in the cases of Donald Judd, Isamu Noguchi, Allan Sekula, Georgia O’Keeffe, Romare Bearden, and Auguste Rodin among others. With relatively few exceptions, such as the libraries of Robert Smithson and Marcel Duchamp, and the research of Ségolène Le Men, artists’ libraries are often overlooked or limited to mention within footnotes. This has occurred as the broader use of archival resources has flourished as an established and prominent practice. Yet, the books, magazines, and records owned by artists, along with the personal inscriptions and marginalia they may contain, provide unique insight and information not available elsewhere. Understood as invaluable resources for art historical inquiry, the personal libraries of artists offer opportunities to examine the creative practices, personal lives, and ideas that underpin artists' work. This session seeks to explore new and diverse forms of scholarship based upon the use of artists’ personal libraries.