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Exhibit May/June 2002
Janus Press exhibit
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April 29 through
August 15, 2002
Celebrating Claire Van Vliet and the
Janus Press
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"Claire Van Vliet is one of the most important book designers
and artists of the last half of the twentieth century. Since 1955 she has
produced books of outstanding quality and creativity at her Janus Press."
Library
of congress |
San Diego State University Library and Information Access
is proud to announce the awarding of the honorary Doctorate of Fine
Arts degree from San Diego State University on May 18, 2002, to Claire
Van Vliet, one of the world's preeminent book artists and owner of the
acclaimed Janus Press. In conjunction with this event, Special Collections
and University Archives is presenting an exhibit of book art created
by Claire Van Vliet.
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Belderrig Whale Skull 1997.
Lithograph on pulp painting with watercolor. Image by Claire Van Vliet.
Photograph by Melville McLean. Courtesy: Ballinglen Arts Foundation, Ireland.
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Graduating from SDSU.
Image from: Del Sudoeste, 1952.
Image from the University
of Virginia Library
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BIOGRAPHY
Born in August 1933 in Ottawa, Canada, Claire Van Vliet graduated from
San Diego High school in 1949 before attending San Diego State College.
After majoring in history, geography, and art history, Van Vliet graduated
with distinction in 1952. Van Vliet studied under such professors as
Everett Gee Jackson, Lowell Houser, Jean Swigget, Ilsa Ruocco and John
Dirks. After earning her MA degree in art at Claremont College in 1954,
she established one of the country's most creative fine private presses,
the Janus Press at West Bourke, Vermont.
In 1955, Van Vliet printed her first book in the SDSU printing laboratory.
Entitled An Oxford Odyssey, the book was written by the late
John Theobald, professor of English at SDSU for many years. An authographed
copy can be found in SDSU Special Collections and University Archives,
along with the most complete collection of Janus Press productions west
of the Mississippi. Please check our
catalog for listings.
Works by Van Vliet and the Janus Press appear worldwide in public collections,
such as the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.; the Victoria
and Albert Museum in London; and the Montreal Museum of Fine Art. The
Janus Press is represented in the Library
of Congress's permanent online exhibition. Van Vliet has also been
a visiting lecturer at various universities and art institutes in North
America and abroad.
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In 1990, Clarie Van Vliet was awarded the John D. and Catherine
T. MacArthur Foundation Fellowship. The unrestricted grant was awarded
in recognition of Van Vliet's artistic and innovative production of fine
press books over a period of more than 25 years. She is also the recipient
of several grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.
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Claire Van Vliet working on a lithograph in 1962 at the
UM Grafik Copenhagen. Photo by Else Kjaer. |
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JANUS PRESS
Located near the Canadian border, Janus Press is recognized as an outstanding
leader in the book arts field and has made a major contribution to American
fine printing in the second half of the 20th century. This self-supporting,
independent small press, operated by a single woman, is noted for creating
innovative, uniquely hand-made, experimental, limited editions of contemporary
poetry, literary classics and fine books of art.
Van Vliet's work is known for its harmoniously balanced textual and visual
elements, as well as for the careful consideration of inks, complex bindings,
papers, boxmaking, and typography. This attention to detail engenders
a surprising variety of texts and styles and brings a three-dimensional
quality to Van Vliet's work. Many well-known artists have contributed
illustrations to Janus Press books, such as Helen Siegl, with whom Van
Vliet collaborated on nine colorful books (e.g. Herball, 1979).
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JANUS PRESS COLLECTION
AT SDSU SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AND UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES
We have a complete collection of Janus Press books. Please check the PAC
for listings.
Sample books from our collection:
Please click on the titles to browse through the online exhibit!
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An Oxford Odyssey, 1955
A Country Doctor = Ein Landarzt, 1962
Aura: A Poem, 1977
Herball, 1979
Lilac wind, 1983
The Circus of Doctor Lao, 1984
Designated Duet, 1989
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Dido and Aeneas, 1989
Narcissus, 1990
Lady Freedom Among Us, 1994
Deep in the Territory, 1998
In Black and White: Landscape Prints, 1999
Sanctae Hildegardis Circulus sapientiae = Circle
of wisdom, 2001
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Virtual exhibit created by Elke Zobl
This page http://infodome.sdsu.edu/about/depts/spcollections/exhibits/0502/index.shtml is maintained by Special Collections c/o Cristina Favretto.
Please use our Feedback Form
for your questions, comments, and suggestions.
File saved 05/26/06 23:00 PDT
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