Robert Tombs: index

"This is an exhibition catalogue on the work of Canadian artist/typographer/graphic designer Robert Tombs, created since 1985. The book contains 100 illustrations of his practice as a graphic designer, collaborator, and artist. These include exhibition catalogues, books, artist's books, posters and related ephemera, literary books, preliminary studies, and sketchbooks expressed in drawing, xerography, letterpress, and offset printing, created about, for, and sometimes with, a range of artists. The catalogue itself is designed by Robert Tombs in an experimental style, invoking economy of means, in terms of printing and binding, referencing an early modernist sensibility. The book also contains two approximately 4,000 word essays by Canadian writers Michael Davidge and Marina Roy who discuss Robert Tombs's art and book design and situate his practice within early modernism and conceptual art. Robert Tombs is an Ottawa-based artist/graphic designer who works in printed matter, photography and installation. His approach to graphic design is an experimental one that is essentially about typography. He has collaborated with numerous artists, writers, artist-run centres, art galleries, academic presses, and printers in the creation of books and artist-related publications. He is a graduate of Mount Allison University and Yale University. From 1999 to 2003, he was Senior Designer, Cornell University Press. His recent painted installations include L'Occupation (ParisCONCRET, Paris, France); Empire (Modern Fuel Artist-run Centre, Kingston, Ontario); Die Erfurter Fenster (Erfurt Window) (glassbox, Erfurt, Germany); and Brigus Mark (Brigus, Newfoundland). Tombs's work has received 33 awards to date and is included in a number of public collections including Canada Council Art Bank, National Gallery of Canada Library, Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, Owens Art Gallery, Winnipeg Art Gallery, Columbia University, Yale University, and Deutsch Bucherei Leipzig. www.roberttombs.com All the works in the exhibition are in the collection of the artist."--