Endocrinology

Artist Kiki Smith (American, born 1954)

Publisher Universal Limited Art Editions

Printer Universal Limited Art Editions, Inc. (ULAE), [West Islip, NY] (Doug Bennett, Lorena Salcedo-Watson, Douglas Volle, Bruce Wankel)

Binder Claudia Cohen, [s.l.]

Author Mei-mei Berssenbrugge (American, born 1947)

Date1997

DimensionsBook: H: 21 1/8 in. (537 cm); W: 20 15/16 in. (532 cm); Depth: 3/8 in. (10 mm).
Page (untrimmed): H: 20 13/16 in. (528 cm); W: 19 11/16 in. (500 mm).

MediumOriginal prints: monoprints in color, plus 2 photographs (affixed to covers). Text: letterpress in black (typeface: Caslon Italic) and lithography of manuscript in blue. Paper: Nepalese, Mowhawk Superfine, Tiara Starwhite, Sekishu Torinoko Gampi papers.

ClassificationBooks

Credit LineMolly and Walter Bareiss Art Fund

Object number

1998.1

Not on View

Label TextI trust my work. It's a collaboration with the material, and when it's viewed, it's a collaboration with the world. (Kiki Smith) A compilation of images by Kiki Smith of the endocrine system and poems by Mei-Mei Berssenbrugge about emotions “controlled” by those organs, Endocrinology was the product of a long collaboration between the two women. Typical of Kiki Smith’s work, it is a combination of layers of textures, images, and words, encouraging an evolvement that is both sensual and intellectual. Berssenbrugge’s poems often change size and shape as she uses collage to produce unexpected juxtapositions. The presentation shifts emphasis and enhances meaning. As a book it is a challenging object—fascinating as a thing—but also a conveyor of ideas in a format that is once traditional and yet very modern.Published References

Mellby, Julie, Splendid Pages: the Molly and Walter Bareiss Collection of Modern Illustrated Books, New York, Hudson Hills Press, 2003, pp. 102-109, repr. (col.) pp. 104-105.

Exhibition History

Toledo Museum of Art, Splendid Pages: The Molly and Walter Bareiss Collection of Modern Illustrated Books, Feb. 14-May 11, 2003.