This text is the third in a series of curatorial essays accompanying exhibitions of artist’s books in Israel. It stems from a desire to echo the historical and theoretical knowledge accumulated in various art and cultural institutions, as well as among curators, researchers, and bibliophiles over the years. We hope that this effort's resonance in the virtual space will foster new critical and scholarly writing, and lead to further exhibitions. The text Chronicle of Disregard was first published in 2004 on the Maarav website and is now republished—both in Hebrew and English—on the Madaf website, courtesy of the curator and initiator of the event—Hagai Segev.
The event brought together dozens of cultural institutions for a celebration of artists' books.
It is a well-known fact that the love of books—and of art books in particular—is a love that can never truly be fulfilled. As the initiator and curator of the “Sefer/Oman” (Book/Artist) event at the ArtIsrael Fair, I sought nothing more than to offer brief moments of joy to lovers of bound art who happened upon the Reading compound, where hundreds of art books and exhibition catalogs were displayed together. These publications were collected from most of the institutions engaged in the publishing of catalogs on Israeli art, whether on an ongoing basis or in conjunction with a specific exhibition. This was the first time such a broad collection of art books was presented to the general public.
“Sefer/Oman” offered a wide-angle view of artistic activity in Israel over the past five years. Alongside books by well-known artists, it presented books by lesser-known ones, whose self-published catalogs granted them a first measure of exposure. In addition to the large and established museums, the event showcased more peripheral institutions—universities, art colleges, municipal galleries, and artist-run centers—which aim to participate in the art world also through the publication of catalogs.
It is often claimed—and with good reason—that the documentation of Israeli art is sorely lacking. The number of reference books and historical surveys is so limited that anyone seeking a comprehensive overview of the field is left helpless. One of the aims of “Sefer/Oman” was to spark interest that might eventually lead to the development of this important field. Documentation and preservation are the groundwork for new creation. History is a reservoir of ideas, phenomena, and movements to which one may respond—affirmatively or critically. The loss of information and the lack of documentation demand action in what is almost a void.
Photo courtesy of Hagai Segev.
One could even argue that many Israeli artists feel a stronger connection to non-local, Western artistic production simply because most of the informational resources available to them—books, catalogs, journals—are imported. Local artists have very few sources or local reference points, and the scarcity of information about local art further means that academic institutions rarely support advanced research on the subject, since such research depends precisely on the missing documentation. We find ourselves trapped in a cycle that is difficult to break.
Looking at the number of publications, one might think there is an abundance: over 300 different titles were presented at the “Sefer/Oman” event alone, and they represent only part of the whole. Yet numbers are not the only metric. Content quality is also crucial—but most catalogs are limited to short texts that do not permit in-depth analysis, offering only a brief introduction to the exhibition without a comprehensive view of the artist’s development, body of work, or thematic breadth in relation to others. Only a few monographs are published in Israel, most of them by the Tel Aviv and Israel Museums. There is a need for other institutions to also publish monographs—and not only for senior artists.
This scarcity of comprehensive studies also hinders the cultivation of a new generation of writers. The conceptual and intellectual brevity of most publications prevents the development of a genuine dialogue between scholars, curators, and artists. Writing skills are also insufficiently developed, as institutions place little demand on them. This absence already causes— and will likely continue to cause—a gap in the documentation of the processes shaping current local production. A researcher seeking basic data about artists from earlier periods of Israeli art will often find nothing beyond newspaper articles, which by nature offer only a limited scope of information.
Photo courtesy of Hagai Segev.
The limited budgets allocated for publication also negatively affect book design, resulting in uniformity and aesthetic conformity. Only in a few cases does one find original or innovative design thinking. A comparison with foreign art books reveals a regrettable gap—not due to a lack of capable designers here, but rather due to the lack of resources dedicated to this aspect of publishing.
“Sefer/Oman” also sought to emphasize the importance of a commercial infrastructure for both local and international art books. Only a handful of bookstores in Israel carry and sell art books. The museum shops in the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and the Israel Museum—our two main examples—sell mainly the publications of their institutions. Other museums lack the financial means or scale of sales necessary to support a shop of their own. Meanwhile, nationwide bookstore chains devote only minimal shelf space to art books, typically offering only popular or classical international titles (Michelangelo, Chagall, Dalí).
An art enthusiast interested in a local artist is unlikely to find what they’re looking for—unless they’re an art journalist, professional insider, or family friend, in which case they might receive a free catalog at the opening event. Those who ask nicely get one for free—meaning only those who receive the publications as gifts are aware they exist. The habits of purchasing original local art books never take root, and this hinders the development of the field as a whole. Only by informing potential buyers can we expand the market and encourage institutions to publish more art books and invest more resources in them—knowing that such expenditure is not merely a public relations cost, but one that can also yield returns. The success of the display and sales at “Sefer/Oman” proves that the public is indeed interested. All that remains is to find the right way to inform and reach them.
Hagai Segev is a curator and creator of cultural content, mainly contemporary art exhibitions in Israeli and European art; museum consultant for history, design, and architecture institutions. With 30 years of experience and curating over two hundred exhibitions. Writes articles, research,h and critical articles on Israeli and international art. Lecturer and consultant in the fields of curation and museology. Currently manages the gallery and cultural center of the Dina Recanati Art Foundation, in Herzliya.
