Publications

The Wittockiana has released a number of publications as part of research projects or for temporary exhibitions. You will find our latest publications here. These can be purchased at the museum shop.

Design-A-Book. Research and Creation in Belgium
Texts by Jan Baetens, Nadia Corazzini, Géraldine David, Sofiane Laghouati, Marcela Scibiorska,
Photos by Andy Simon,
Wittockiana/Atelier du Livre de Mariemont, 2023
126 p.

Retail Price: 32€

ISBN : 978-2-87305-014-6

The catalogue Design-A-Book is a publication edited at the end of the eponymous exposition organized by the Wittockiana and the Atelier du Livre de Mariemont from February to April 2023. In addition to all of the exposition’s plaques and photographs of each work, it includes additional texts that put into perspective, through the works available for view in the exposition rooms at the Wittockiana, the act of creation in the field of books. Géraldine David, Jan Baetens and Sofiane Laghouati propose thus a historical and theoretic regard on the trends and investigations that emerge from this event that has brought together different pieces from artists across the country, while Nadia Corazzini presents the prize winners of the Mariemont research grant for book fabrication and design.

The origins of Wittockiana are inseparable from Michel Wittock’s erudite love of books. It was in this context that the idea of a series of publications was born, seeking to understand “What collecting means” and to explore the many facets of collecting through its links with museums. (Please note: this collection is only available in French)

Collectionneurs & Psyché. Ce que collectionner veut dire (Vol. 1),
Géraldine David and François Mairesse (dir.),
Wittockiana, 2020,
104 p.

Retail price : 12€

ISBN : 978-2-87305-007-8

This volume, Collectionneurs & Psyché, analyses the inner workings of collecting, an activity that is often socially accepted, but sometimes decried as a more or less picturesque mania, if not a malady of the mind. Is collecting a reasoned act of erudition, or does it inevitably lead to passion, or even madness?

Collectionneurs & Musées. Ce que collectionner veut dire (Vol. 2),
Géraldine David and François Mairesse (dir.),
Wittockiana, 2020,
128 p.

Retail price : 12€

ISBN : 978-2-87305-010-8

This volume, Collectionneurs & Musées, analyses the sometimes complex relationship between museums and collectors. For a long time now, given the scarcity of their economic resources, museums have seen collectors as potential opportunities to enrich their collections. But do they truly understand the challenges involved in accepting a donation from a collector? Do they understand that by accepting a donation, they are also making the collector part of the museum’s history?

429131154_726164466330926_8409588559150668438_n (1)

Collectionneurs & Marché. Ce que collectionner veut dire,
Géraldine David and François Mairesse (dir.),
Wittockiana, 2024,
144 p.

Retail price : 15€

ISBN : 978-2-87305-011-5

The origins of Wittockiana are well known, and are inseparable from Michel Wittock’s erudite love of books. It was against this backdrop that the idea was born for a cycle of publications seeking to understand “Ce que collectionner veut dire” and to explore the many facets of collecting in its links with the museum. The present volume, Collectionneurs & Marché, analyzes the relationship between collectors and the commercial sector, and questions of investment and speculation. Collectors are key players on the art market, whether in galleries or at public auctions. Sometimes stigmatized for spending too much or, on the contrary, as speculators betting on the future value of young artists, who are they really: investors, speculators, patrons or passionate buyers?

Collectionneurs & Artistes. Ce que collectionner veut dire (Vol. 4),
Géraldine David and François Mairesse (dir.),
Wittockiana, 2024,
123 p.

Retail price : 15€

ISBN : 978-2-87305-012-2

The fourth volume in the series looks at the special relationship that develops between collectors and artists in the creative world and the art market. The role of collectors and artists goes far beyond the lucrative, even speculative, dimension explored in Collectionneurs & Marché : beyond the logic of financial transactions, a relationship is also developing, based on mutual recognition, support and patronage.

The complexity of these exchanges is explored through numerous contributions from researchers, collectors, intermediaries and artists.