Drop Dead Gorgeous

About the exhibition :: The remarkable book by poet Blaise Cendrars and artist Sonia Delaunay, La Prose du Transsibérien et de la petite Jehanne de France, was produced by letterpress and pochoir in 1913. It was a landmark achievement for its time with its unprecedented format, avant-garde typography and abstract imagery, and remains vibrant and modern today.
 
Kitty Maryatt of Two Hands Press has been researching the production of La Prose du Transsibérien since 2012. In 2018, she debuted a new edition of 150 copies, which faithfully incorporates techniques and methods used in the original. At the same time, Maryatt and her underwriters commissioned fine bindings by notable design binders from around the world. These bindings, along with Maryatt’s La Prose du Transsibérien Re-Creation, have resulted in a traveling exhibition titled Drop Dead Gorgeous: Fine Bindings of La Prose du Transsibérien Re-creation.

Debuting in San Francisco, the exhibition will feature the work of twenty-four design binders, including Don Glaister, Monique Lallier, Midori Kunikata-Cockram and Julian Thomas. Tools, materials, and supplemental material used in the creation of Maryatt’s edition of La Prose will also be on display. Upon closing in San Francisco in October, the exhibition travels to additional venues in the United States, Canada and England.

Exhibiting artists: Kathy Abbott :: Servane Briand :: Coleen Curry :: Sue Doggett :: Samuel Feinstein :: Erin Fletcher / Herringbone Bindery :: Donald Glaister / Fool's Gold Studio :: Derek Hood :: Susan Hulme :: Midori Kunikata-Cockram / Jade Bookbinding Studio :: Monique Lallier :: Kitty Maryatt / Two Hands Press :: Sabina Nies / Sun Book Arts :: Patricia Owen :: Dominic Riley / Owl Barn Studio :: Tracey Rowledge ::  Priscilla Spitler / Hands On Bookbinding :: Julian Thomas

Exhibition catalog :: A fully illustrated catalog of this exhibition is available for purchase from San Francisco Center for the Book.(link is external)

Exhibition sponsors :: Grants For The Arts | San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund | The Kahle Austin Foundation | Toby Schwartzburg | Simon Eccles | Kitty Maryatt | Anonymous