Material Meanings: Selections from the Constance R. Caplan Collection

Material Meanings was an exhibition shown at the Art Institute of Chicago from February 22 to July 5, 2020. The accompanying catalog, edited by Matthew S. Witkovsky, is distributed by Yale University Press:

This book features 31 objects from Constance R. Caplan’s noted collection of 20th- and 21st-century art, including works in a variety of media by artists such as Hans Arp, Lydia Benglis, Liz Deschens, Claes Oldenberg, and Cy Twombly. Rather than specialize in one medium, artist, or movement, Caplan has instead assembled paintings, photographs, drawings, sculptures, and examples of decorative art that include voices from both the school and the museum of the Art Institute of Chicago. Yve-Alain Bois provides a historical overview of the collection’s genesis, with a particular focus on the dialogue among works from different artistic disciplines.

The book was designed and typeset by Emma Cole, pairing Granville (Jean-Baptiste Levée) and Univers (Adrian Frutiger). The cover shows a detail from Louise Bourgeois’s Observer (1947–1949) and features silver foil stamping.