Anne Walker Artists' Book Collection, 1974-2006
General International Standard for Archival Description
Mortimer Rare Book Room Smith CollegeNorthampton, MA
Finding aid encoded in NoteTab Pro. Encoded by Jennifer Smar. 2006-06-21
Encoded Archival Description
Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Version 2002
collection
Anne Walker Artists' Book Collection
Creation of Anne Walker Artists' Book Collection
Time of Creation of Anne Walker Artists' Book Collection
Walker, Anne, 1933-
Biographical History for: Anne Walker Artists' Book Collection
Biographical Note Anne Walker is a printmaker and painter; she lives in Paris. Walker was born in 1933 in Boston, Massachusetts, and graduated in 1955 from Smith College; she spent her junior year in Paris, working at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Montparnasse. In 1956 she returned to Paris to study with Johnny Friedlaender at his atelier; her first etchings were done there. She has continued to make prints, created etchings, and a number of fine-press books. Walker's graphic work has been exhibited worldwide since 1956 and is in public and private collections in Europe and the United States. Her husband, Bertrand Dorny, is also an artist. In 1986 she took up painting, using gouache combined with pastel, a technique that has predominated in her work since then. With these materials she began exploring the format of the artist's book, which has allowed her to collaborate with poets and writers whom she admires-Michel Butor, Kenneth Koch and Peter Davison, to name a few. Much of her book work is concerned with the language of color and is characterized by a lyricism-sometimes playful, sometimes elegiac-that pairs well with literature. Anne Walker has written the following about her artists' books: “I believe the desire to create images originates in an early passion for pictures and paintings. Some of my fondest memories are of my illustrated childhood books, read over and over again, as much for the pictures as for the words. My dream then was to be an illustrator of children's books. Growing up in the Newton suburbs outside of Boston, where I was born, I was close to the Museum of Fine Arts, where I was enrolled in a Saturday morning art class by parents who always encouraged my interest in drawing, but I soon stopped attending in order to roam the more interesting museum. It was a wonderful introduction to seeing: having little knowledge of art history, I was free to admire or dislike as I wandered. The Oriental art rooms particularly impressed me.” “Attending Smith College as a studio art major and taking my junior year abroad in Paris, where I was first exposed directly to the many forms of contemporary art, were essential in forming my vision as an artist. My first experiments were with printing techniques. I studied woodcutting at Smith with Seong Moy and etching with Johnny Friedlaender in Paris. Having taken up residence in Paris permanently, I could avail myself of the fine presses and printing studios to make numerous etchings and, most important, my first artist's books. These were made in collaboration with my poet friend Edward Kessler. Later, when I turned to using gouache and pastel, I began the series of 'painted books' which I continue to this day.” “When conceiving a book, I work in harmony with writers whom I know personally, both French and American. Also, words of certain departed poets who speak to me across time can stimulate the visual pattern behind a composition. It is a question of words evoking images or, in direct collaboration with a poet, images evoking words. Because creatively I'm devoted to inventing landscape equivalences, the accordion form of 'folded paintings' suits my concept of an overall, amost unending piece that becomes a book when folded and can be read page by page, but that can also be viewed as a long picture, like a scroll. In my books I seek to illuminate rather than to illustrate the text, which the author inscribes after I've made the painting. If the poet is no longer living, I print the text myself in simple block letters. The words in the books are placed over and within the painting becoming inseparable from it, a form of intermingling that I try to render among the elements in the accompanying image.”
Scope and Contents of the Collection The Anne Walker Collection consists of a collection of her artists' books, letters and related items relative to the artistry of Ms. Walker. The majority of the artists' books were given to the Mortimer Rare Book Room as a gift from Walker in 2005 in celebration of her graduation from Smith College in 1956, with some of the others coming from other sources. The letters of Michel Butor were also donated by Walker. The other items in the collection are from various sources.
Artists' books.
lcsh
Artists' books-France.
Art, American-France-Paris
Expatriate artists-France.
Walker, Anne.
lcnaf
Dorny, Bertrand.
Butor, Michel, 1926-
Davison, Peter, 1928-2004
Kessler, Edward, 1927-
Butor, Michel, 1926
Dickinson, Emily, 1830-1886.
Koch, Kenneth, 1925-2002
Padgett, Ron, 1942-
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1886
series
SERIES I. ARTISTS' BOOKS (1989-2005),
SERIES II. GENERAL MATERIALS (1974-2006),
Bachman, Ingebord. Im Gewitter der Rosen: In the Storm of Roses, 1990. Text inscribed and signed by Walker. Translation by Mark Anderson. (10 leaves; 16 x 13 cm., in slipcase) No. 3 of 3.
Basho. Book of Seasons: Haiku, 1995. Text inscribed and signed by Walker. (34 leaves; 15 x 15 cm., in slipcase) No. 1 of 3.
Butor, Michel. L'Arrière automne, 2003. Text inscribed by Butor; signed by Butor and Walker. (14 leaves; 19.5 x 14.4 cm., in portfolio) No. 3 of 7.
Davison, Peter. Fogged in, 2002. Text inscribed by Davison; signed by Davison and Walker. (10 leaves; 10.5 x 11 cm., in slipcase) No. 3 of 3.
Davison, Peter. Thatch, 1994. Text inscribed by Davison; signed by Davison and Walker. (8 leaves; 15.5 x 12.5 cm., in slipcase) No. 2 of 3.
Deguy, Michel. Plafond sombre tire, 1996. Text inscribed by Deguy; signed by Deguy and Walker. (7 leaves; 14 x 9.5 cm., in slipcase) No. 3 of 5.
Dickinson, Emily. The Day grew small, 1992. Text inscribed and signed by Walker. (8 leaves; 12 x 14 cm., in slipcase) [No. 1 of 1].
Dickinson, Emily. February Hour, 1992. Text inscribed and signed by Walker. (8 leaves; 12 x 14 cm., in slipcase) [No. 1 of 1].
Dickinson, Emily. I Cannot Meet the Spring Unmoved, 1997. Text inscribed and signed by Walker. (10 leaves; 18.5 x 10.5 cm., in portfolio) No. 1 of 1.
Dickinson, Emily. A Little Madness in the Spring, 1997. Text inscribed and signed by Walker. (10 leaves; 18.5 x 10.5 cm., in portfolio) No. 1 of 1.
Dickinson, Emily. Of Bronze - and Blaze, 2002. Text inscribed and signed by Walker. (6 leaves; 14.5 x 10 cm., in portfolio) No. 1 of 1.
Kessler, Edward. After Holy Night, 2002. Text inscribed by Kessler; signed by Kessler and Walker. (8 leaves; 19.5 x 13.5 cm., in portfolio) No. 2 of 5.
Kessler, Edward. Cypresses, 1996. Text inscribed by Kessler; signed by Kessler and Walker. (7 leaves; 14 x 9.5 cm., in slipcase) No. 2 of 5.
Kessler, Edward. A Desert, 1997. Text inscribed by Kessler; signed by Kessler and Walker. (6 leaves; 19 x 14 cm., in slipcase) No. 3 of 4.
Kessler, Edward. The Elephant's Graveyard, 1994. Text inscribed and signed by Walker. (10 leaves; 11.5 x 15.5 cm., in slipcase) No. 1 of 3.
Kessler, Edward. Gypsies, 1993. Text inscribed by Kessler; signed by Kessler and Walker. (5 leaves; 16 x 13 cm., in portfolio) No. 3 of 4.
Kessler, Edward. Words from a House, 1992. Text inscribed by Walker; signed by Kessler and Walker. (8 leaves; 16 x 13 cm., in portfolio) No. 2 of 3.
Koch, Kenneth. Endymion, 2000. Text inscribed by Koch; signed by Koch and Walker. (8 leaves; 18.5 x 11 cm., in portfolio) No. 1 of 5.
Koch, Kenneth. Nine Skies: A Likeable First Name, 1993. Text inscribed by Koch; signed by Koch and Walker. (6 leaves; 20.5 x 21 cm., in portfolio) No. 1 of 9. Collection "A mano" 1994, Andre Biren, Paris. The poem inscribed is the first poem of Nine Skies; typescript of the poems Nine Skies laid in, and signed by Koch.
Koch, Kenneth. Poem, [1995]. Text inscribed by Koch; signed by Koch and Walker. (7 leaves; 14.5 x 10 cm., in slipcase) No. 2 of 5.
Koch, Kenneth. Present but not Here, 1997. Text inscribed by Koch; signed by Koch and Walker. (8 leaves; 19 x 14 cm., in portfolio) No. 3 of 5.
Noël, Bernard. Le Reste du voyage, 1997. Text inscribed by Noël; signed by Noël and Walker. (7 leaves; 14.5 x 9.5 cm., in slipcase) No. 2 of 5.
Padgett, Ron. Solo for Piano, 1996. Text inscribed by Padgett; signed by Padgett and Walker. (7 leaves; 14 x 10 cm., in slipcase) No. 3 of 5.
Padgett, Ron. Thinking about the Moon, 2005. Text inscribed by Padgett; signed by Padgett and Walker. (8 leaves; 18.5 x 11 cm., in portfolio) No. 3 of 5.
Padgett, Ron. Two Haiku, 2001. Text inscribed by Padgett; signed by Padgett and Walker. (6 leaves; 14.5 x 10 cm., in portfolio) No. 3 of 5.
Padgett, Ron. Why, 1992. Text inscribed by Padgett; signed by Padgett and Walker. (8 leaves; 16 x 13 cm., in portfolio) No. 2 of 3.
Peyré, Yves. Pincées d'or ou d'écume, 2004. Text inscribed by Peyré; signed by Peyré and Walker. (9 leaves; 14 x 19 cm., in portfolio) No. 2 [of 7].
Shelley, Percy Bysshe. Ode to the West Wind, 1994. Text inscribed and signed by Walker.
Thoreau, Henry David. Intangible, 1989. Text inscribed and signed by Walker. (6 double-sided leaves; 16 x 13 cm., in portfolio) [No. 1 of 1]. Title from spine of the portfolio.
Thoreau, Henry David. Night, 1989. Text inscribed and signed by Walker. (6 double-sided leaves; 16 x 13 cm., in portfolio) [No. 1 of 1]. Title from spine of the portfolio.
Thoreau, Henry David. October 3, 1858, 1991. Text inscribed and signed by Walker. (8 double-sided leaves; 15.5 x 12.5 cm., in slipcase) No. 1 of 1. Title from spine of the slipcase.
Thoreau, Henry David. Seasons, 1989.Text inscribed and signed by Walker. (6 double-sided leaves; 16 x 13 cm., in portfolio) [No. 1 of 1]. Title from spine of the portfolio.
Thoreau, Henry David. Smile, 1989. Text inscribed and signed by Walker. (6 double-sided leaves; 16 x 13 cm., in portfolio) [No. 1 of 1]. Title from spine of the portfolio.
Wilhelm, Evelyne. Mine de riens, 2004. Text inscribed by Wilhelm; signed by Wilhelm and Walker. (10 leaves; 13 x 16.5 cm., in portfolio) No. 2 of 7.
Letters from Michel Butor to Anne Walker, 1994-2003. Written in French with English translation (1992 Jul 20, 1999 Aug 24, 2000 Feb 29, 2003 Jan 19). The letters are on large format postcards or other printed papers. Butor made additions to the design of the postcards and papers creating collages upon which he sometimes writes additional lines. Also includes a letter from Walker to Martin Antonetti (2005 Sep 10) explaining references in Butor's letters.
Exhibition of Anne Walker's "Painted Books" at Neilson Library, Smith College, 1994 Oct 10-Nov 30. The file contains correspondence related to the exhibition, publicity materials and photographs. Also includes correspondence between Edward Kessler and Karen Kukil on the exhibition. An exhibition was held at the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum of Bertrand Dorny's artists' books at the same time.
Exhibition of Anne Walker's artists' books at the Librairie Nicaise, Paris, 1999 Jun 3-30. The file contains publicity materials on this exhibition.
Exhibition of Anne Walker's artists' books at Smith College, Neilson Library, 2005 Nov 8-2006 Feb 28. The file contains publicity materials and correspondence on this exhibition.
Publicity materials, 1974-1993. The file contains publicity materials from various exhibits of Anne Walker's works.
Reproductions of Anne Walker's artists' books, 1998.
SERIES III. OVERSIZE (1994),
Shelley, Percy Bysshe. Ode to the West Wind, 1994. Text inscribed and signed by Walker. (14 x 303 cm. forming a circle and folded; laid in wood case with Plexiglas cover designed by Sün Evrard) No. 1 of 2.