1 volume (unpaginated) : illustrations (some color) ; 18 cm.
Description
"This pop-up museum housed in a magic lantern box is an amusing introduction to the history of museums from Ancient Greece through the 18th century. The artist's hand drawn copperplate etchings, based on old engravings depicting the earliest museums in Europe, are reproduced here in a facsimile version of the original limited-edition artist's book."--Case. "This work was inspired by the remnants of the most famous and extensive collection of artifacts, mostly natural, in 16th c. Europe. They were amassed by Ulisse Aldrovandi (1522-1605), the first professor of natural history ever appointed in Italy, at the University of Bologna."--Artist's Website. Title from case. Offset printed trade ed. of a work originally published by A. Lorenz, Bologna, Italy, 2000 in an ed. of 10 copies. Book consists of a central panel with accordion folded pages, printed on both sides, extending from either side. When the accordions are extended from the the center, in the fashion of french doors, they create the "theater". In this position, the reproduction copper-plate etchings form a collection of curiosities or wunderkammer, receding into the distance. The etchings, hand-drawn and printed by the artist, are based on the images of six early museums in Europe, put together to form one fictitious museum. Housed in a folding paper case. When the book is removed from it, the case may be set up to form a magic lantern, a sort of early slide projector from the 17th century. The front of the case was die-cut to resemble the display cabinet in the first black and white image in the book.
Local Note
Photographed and posted with permission of the artist.
Archive Location
Artists' Book Collection - Call Number: N7433.4.L67 T44 2002
