Exhibition: Books from the Nancy Bloch Collection, January-May 2017
Exhibits
Published January 23, 2017
Books featured from Nancy Bloch’s recent donation of almost 200 artist books, and curated by Emily Hernandez, class of 2017 as part of her senior capstone project. Nancy Katcher Bloch (class of 1952) donated her artist book collection to the Mortimer Rare Book Room in the fall of 2016, in memory of her daughter Amy Rose Bloch, class of 1978. The collection adds to Smith’s already extensive holdings of artist books, both limited edition and unique items, featuring fine printing, illustration, calligraphy, and more.
| Dates | Exhibit |
|---|---|
| Jan.23-May 21, 2017 | Books from the Nancy Bloch Collection Mortimer Rare Book Room, Neilson level 3 |
Bloch was first introduced to books as collectible items when her father, a book collector, took her to auctions in New York City. Maintaining her interest in fine binding and beautiful craftsmanship Bloch began to collect books that caught her attention. Her collection grew as she looked for and sometimes happened upon new works. In the collection it is clear that Bloch has the eye of a craftsperson: some books are delicate while others are bold, but all are beautiful works designed with intentional artistry. As a bookbinder Bloch has collected numerous unique structures and bindings. To see four more books from the collection please visit Emily Hernandez’s Book Studies Concentration Senior Capstone Project: https://sophia.smith.edu/bkx-capstone/
Page from Suzanne Moore’s Zero: Cypher of Infinity (2014)
Page from Alan Robinson’s The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe (1984)
Page from Don Glaister’s Brooklyn Bridge:
A Love Song (2002)
Image from Sibyl Rubottom’s The Sibyls (2006)