Dieter Roth

I visited the Antiquarian Book Fair in Boston over the weekend and saw some really amazing work. There were many fine bindings to marvel at, but one of my favorite booths at the fair was Derringer Books which focused mainly on late twentieth century artists and writers. Upon entering the book fair, I wanted to find some books on Donald Judd and minimalism in general. Derringer books had these in relative abundance. A Donald Judd furniture catalog he had on display was a little ho-hum and quite pricey at $1000. I was really taken by a book work by Dieter Roth which consisted of a slip case containing two stiff card like wrappers which held unbound cut paper in simple geometric patterns. As the cards shifted in your hands the patterns would magically change, creating clumsy op-art. One set of cards was purely black and white. The other set was a mix of ultra saturated red, blue, and green cut cards. Of course, it was also too pricey for me. Another interesting tidbit at this booth was Marcel Dzama's first little booklet, very simple, going for $500.