Artists’ Multiples, 1935-2000

Bury (British Library) wrote this catalog and history to codify an increasingly common type of artistic phenomena, the work of art created not as a unique object, but as a multiple, in the spirit of mechanical reproduction. Bury describes the evolution of the idea of the multiple in the work of Duchamp and his readymades, the fabrication of the constructivists, the embrace of the ordinary of Pop Art and Minimalism, and the use of packaging of Fluxus. The work of Joseph Beuys is discussed at length. The lengthy catalog documents artists multiples; most are not reproduced. A glossary, chronology, and bibliography are included. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)