Postcards are often bought quickly and disposed of without much thought. Artists' postcards, however, from the 1960s onwards, are a significant part of the history of contemporary art. The ready familiarity of a tourist postcard means it has rich potential to be subverted, with recognizable images appropriated or manipulated for political, satirical, revolutionary or playful intent. The only requirement is that it fits through a letterbox and, unlike traditional works of art, requires nothing more than a stamp for it to be seen on the other side of the world. Being made of everyday material, postcards invite handling, ask to be included in our lives, picked up, turned over and shown to friends. The inexpensiveness of production encourages artists to experiment with their design.
The world exists to be put on a postcard includes examples by notable modern and contemporary artists including Carl Andre, Eleanor Antin, Joseph Beuys, Tacita Dean, Gilbert dGeorge, Richard Hamilton, Susan Hiller, Richard Long, Bruce Nauman, Yoko Ono, Dieter Roth, Gavin Turk, Mark Wallinger, Rachel Whiteread, and Hannah Wilke. Written by artists' postcard expert and collector Jeremy Cooper, this remarkable publication will appeal to fans of the genre and to lovers of contemporary art. Published to coincide with an exhibition on artists' postcards, from February to August 2019, this book will inspire, educate and delight.
