Modernism and the Order of Things

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Focusing on the evolution of Modernist epistemologies, this study examines artist books from the 1960s and 70s and their reception by major institutions in the following decades. It highlights the tension between works that reinforce Modernist ideals and those that challenge them by presenting immaterial concepts as art. Through case studies of collections at MoMA, the Tate, and the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the author explores how the categorization of these works as "artist's books" reflects a broader institutional tendency to uphold Modernist frameworks, reshaping the understanding of contemporary art.