Artists’ books, czyli czym jest owoc małżeństwa książki ze sztuką

Artists’ books, or what is the fruit of the marriage of a book with artThis text is an attempt to looking at the status of artists’ books — interesting phenomenon, which blends worlds of book and art. It includes the opinions of art critics, bibliophiles, publishers, crea­tors of literature and artists. History of the artists’ books and external conditions, which have an influence on its birth were briefly outlined. Image of this phenomenon turns out indeterminate and internally contradictory. Theories, typologies, attempts to define or even fix the right term are often mutually exclusive. This situation raises questions about their legitimacy. Maybe we should accept the fact that certain indeterminacy and impossibility to enclose in rigid frames is an inherent feature of artists’ books because otherwise they would lose their diverse and open character.