Exhibition Catalogs

An exhibition catalog is, at minimum, a published list of objects or works displayed at an exhibition. 

They tend to be more ephemeral than museum guides, which document and explain works in a permanent collection.

And they are more situational and limited-in-scope than catalogues raisonné, which compile all known works of a particular artist. 

In the wrong framing, exhibition catalogs serve primarily as marketing extensions of a show, adding revenue from book purchases to ticket sales. 

Or worse, as objectifications of the resources of the presenting institutions, in the form of lavish tomes paired with blockbuster exhibitions.

But while exhibition catalogs serve valid commercial purposes, the good ones serve higher ends.

Like what? 

First, they pull the curtain higher for show visitors. 

Exhibition catalogs explain the intentions of the artists and curators involved - working alongside wall descriptions, docent tours, acoustiguides and the like - to deliver essential information that deepens the experience.

They also provide useful source material for art appreciation and scholarship beyond the galleries. Many art libraries have an exhibition catalog section, preserving stacks of original resources to those who seek to understand the art and show makers through their research. 

Exhibition catalogs aren't all great works of press art that last forever. There are plenty of bad ones.

But when viewed collectively, the good ones have one thing in common that is independent of design and production quality.

That is, they go beyond a listing the items on display and bring together the whole experience - the people, the work, the theme, the place - for anyone who pulls them off the shelf after the close.

A hundred pages. Or just one. 

PS.

Pictured is an exhibition catalog from Edmund de Waal. Just one page, printed in black ink, folded. 

PPS. 

Here's a nice blog post, including some thoughts from the editor of The Courtauldian, about what makes a great exhibition catalog -  https://www.museumbookstore.com/blogs/blog/what-makes-an-exhibition-catalogue-great