Artifex Press is pleased to announce the publication of Sol LeWitt Wall Drawings. This is the seventh digital catalogue raisonné published by Artifex Press, following those for Chuck Close, Jim Dine, Tim Hawkinson, Agnes Martin, Lucas Samaras, and James Siena.
The Sol LeWitt Wall Drawings Catalogue Raisonné is the definitive publication of LeWitt’s most celebrated body of work. The catalogue features comprehensive information for LeWitt’s approximately 1,350 wall drawings, comprising approximately 3,500 installations at more than 1,200 venues.
The Sol LeWitt Wall Drawings Catalogue Raisonné developed out of a project begun by the artist before his death in 2007. During his lifetime, LeWitt produced three earlier catalogues raisonnés, all edited by Susanna Singer (1984; 1989; and 1992), but he intended to replace these with an updated catalogue raisonné, which he began to outline at the end of his life. After more than a decade of continued research in close collaboration with the Estate of Sol LeWitt, Artifex Press has completed work on this catalogue and has published it in digital form. The catalogue encompasses all details of the previous catalogues raisonnés with critical updates ranging from newly discovered wall drawings to corrected titles, caption information, and installation histories. As this is a digital catalogue, it will continue to be updated with new installations, new photography, and any additional information that is discovered after the initial publication date.
“We are indebted to the diligent and comprehensive effort led by Lindsay Aveilhé, Chris Vacchio, Susanna Singer, Veronica Roberts, Béatrice Gross, Anthony Sansotta, John Hogan, Christine Lee, and David Grosz,” said Sofia LeWitt, director of the Estate of Sol LeWitt. “Their exhaustive scholarship has produced the definitive resource for scholars, galleries, institutions, and collectors.”
Nearly every first installation of each wall drawing is illustrated with an archival photograph and additional images illustrate subsequent installations—approximately 6,000 images in total. Also included are images of the wall drawing diagrams—schematics that indicate how a work is to be installed—and dozens of multimedia features, including rarely-seen installation videos and an audio file of LeWitt delivering installation instructions for the exhibition Art By Telephone at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago in 1969.
Detailed notes highlight the evolution of many wall drawings and call out important distinctions from one installation to the next. There are explanatory texts introducing each of LeWitt’s series, from the Drawing Series through Broken Bands of Color. Several essays by LeWitt are reproduced, some featuring reproductions of original manuscripts in the artist’s hand.
Sol LeWitt Wall Drawings was edited by Lindsay Aveilhé, with Director of Research Christopher Vacchio. Critical contributions were made by Research Associate Christine Lee and David Grosz, Artifex Press’s Editor in Chief. The catalogue was completed in close collaboration with the Estate of Sol LeWitt, led by Sofia LeWitt, Anthony Sansotta, Artistic Director, and John Hogan, the Mary Jo and Ted Shen Installation Director and Archivist for Sol LeWitt Wall Drawings, Yale University Art Gallery. Artifex Press would also like to acknowledge the vital contributions of Editor Béatrice Gross, Editor Susanna Singer, and Director of Research Veronica Roberts.
The catalogue is accessible through the Artifex Press platform. Individuals may subscribe or access the catalogue through a subscribing institution.
About Artifex Press
Artifex Press is a publisher of digital catalogues raisonnés. We have developed a proprietary, patented software platform and a dedicated research and publishing program in order to produce, edit, and distribute these seminal publications.
Our approach combines the rigors of art-historical research with the flexibility of digital publishing. As a byproduct of each publication, we are creating digital archives for all the artists with whom we work. We are currently working with some 20 artists, estates, and foundations, including Carl Andre, Robert Irwin, Lee Ufan, Sol LeWitt, Agnes Martin, Niki de Saint Phalle, Frank Stella, and Yves Tanguy.
Artifex Press is taking steps to ensure the longevity of its catalogues. We regularly back up our databases, allow for immediate exports, frequently introduce new technologies to our software, and prioritize working with third-party archives on issues of long-term data preservation. Our ultimate goal is to leverage our expertise in software development and catalogue raisonné publishing to preserve the legacy and intellectual property of participating artists and estates.
