Michelle Elligott and Tod Lippy, Modern Artifacts, 2020

Softcover, 354 pages, 235 color illustrations

$60 PURCHASE

Since the incorporation of the Esopus Foundation Ltd. in 2003, we have asked contemporary artists to create limited editions that we offer in exchange for donations. Revenue from these artworks allows us to continue our mission of providing an unmediated, accessible forum for artists and the general public.

These limited editions are not for sale; therefore, a portion of their value is tax-deductible per the Internal Revenue Code. Donors will receive an email receipt for their records.

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"One of the Best Art Books of 2020"—Roberta Smith, The New York Times

"Incredible....A new scriptorium of art."—Jerry Saltz, New York

Modern Artifacts features all 18 installments of the eponymous series that appeared in issues of Esopus—several of which are sold out—from 2006 to 2019. The “Modern Artifacts” series featured items reproduced in facsimile from MoMA’s extraordinary collection, curated and introduced by MoMA’s Chief of Archives, Library, and Research Collections Michelle Elligott. Contents range from documentation related to the planning of exhibitions that were never staged to pages from the Museum’s first guest book.

Six contemporary artists—Mary Ellen Carroll, Rhea Karam, Mary Lum, Clifford Owens, Michael Rakowitz, and Paul Ramirez Jonas—have contributed projects related to a particular aspect of the archives. These contributions—many incorporating removable inserts—appear throughout the book, which also includes an introductory essay by Elligott and a foreword by Esopus editor Tod Lippy. 

Modern Artifacts
Published by Esopus Books
354 pages, 235 color illustrations
ISBN: 9780989911771
USD $60.00

REVIEWS:

New York (Jerry Saltz)

The New York Times (Roberta Smith)

Los Angeles Times (Christopher Knight)

The Brooklyn Rail (Jennie Waldow)

Print Magazine (Steven Heller)

Atllas Obscura (Andrew Russeth)

RBM: A Journal of Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Cultural Heritage (Diane Dias De Fazio)