Alexandra Reigle – Page 4 – Smithsonian Libraries and Archives / Unbound

Discussing Contemporary Art Research with Tyler Green

October 25, 2013

Berkeley No. 22, 1954. Richard Diebenkorn, American, b. Portland, Oregon, 1922–1993. Oil on canvas, 59 x 57 in. (149.8 x 144.8 cm). Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC.

Most art history students have had to tackle an assignment that requires researching a contemporary artist. Quickly, it becomes clear that the research of contemporary artists involves a different research process than more seasoned artists. The resources that students would normally access first, such as catalogue raisonnés or retrospective exhibition catalogues, most likely do not exist yet. So, what sources are available to researchers of contemporary art and how does a contemporary art museum library cater to those needs? These are questions we ask ourselves when building and managing our collection.

Yayoi Kusama: the Fashion of Obsession

Alexandra Reigle

September 10, 2013

1 Comment

A Variety of Yayoi Kusama Books at the Hirshhorn Library

It’s not unusual for art and fashion to exist symbiotically, each providing inspiration for one another. Some artists, such as Andy Warhol, have become fashion icons both in the incorporation of their artworks into fashion designs, as well as their own fashion sense.

Defaced Donation Leads to Exhibition Exploration

Alexandra Reigle

July 31, 2013

2 Comments

Imagining Our Future Together: South Asia Artists Exhibition catalogue

This is a post written by Rita O’Hara who works at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Library.

In February, Richard Koshalek, the Hirshhorn Museum director donated to the library a copy of The World Bank exhibition catalog entitled Imagining Our Future Together: South Asia Artists. The exhibit featured the winners of a regional art competition organized by the World Bank’s South Asia vice presidency and the World Bank Art Program. This gift of the catalog led to a reconnection with a former classmate and a field trip to The World Bank.

Visionaire at the Hirshhorn Library

Alexandra Reigle

April 10, 2013

Featuring Artists’ Books in a Museum’s Collection

Alexandra Reigle

December 5, 2012

Leave a Comment

Mungo Thomson — Negative Space. Ringier, Zurich: 2007.

On Friday, September 28th, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden’s Head Librarian Anna Brooke gave a presentation at the NY Art Book Fair’s Contemporary Artists’ Books Conference on how artists’ books can be used in conjunction with a museum’s collection to provide greater insight into an artist’s body of work. Work studies student Lauren Zook, currently enrolled in the George Mason – Smithsonian collaborative masters program for decorative arts, aided in developing the presentation and has written a summary of it for our blog.

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Library has acquired an unusual type of book—the artist’s book. Some of these books are mass publications and others are unique and vary in size and shape. A new initiative has been made by the Smithsonian Libraries to make these artists’ books more accessible to the public and protect them from damage. Most of the artists’ books at the Hirshhorn Library were produced by artists represented in the museum’s collection. These artists’ books can provide new insight to an artist’s work, show similar themes, and can even be shown in galleries as autonomous works of art.