Alexander Borovsky

Alexander Davydovich Borovsky [Алекса́ндр Дави́дович Боро́вский] (b. January 1, 1952), Soviet and Russian art historian, PhD, curator, head of the Department of Contemporary Art at the State Russian Museum (1989). Honored Art Worker of the Russian Federation (1998). Member of the St. Petersburg branch of the Association of Art Critics.

Quotes

The correlation between the text and the artist’s book is an interesting subject. Beginning with projects of Vollard some artists prefer to work with the literature text of others. Surrealists, Dadaists and futurists often wrote texts for their projects on their own. Later pop art showed that the literal part is not so important. The artist’s book exists on it’s a unique kind of art. It articulates its own textuality that usually is not connected with any interpretations of some texts coming from outside. It speaks with its volume, weight, materials, construction and disputes with the traditional book. The artist’s book can reflect its past as a medium for an alien text or can forget it at all. It always embodies the ideas of the art direction that is the working field of the artist who creates it. First of all the artist’s book is a reflection of its author as an artist. Exclusive nature of which is reflected in each individual copy. That is why there should be as much personality as possible in every artist’s book. Moreover, the artist should better be a good one.
- Alexander Borovsky Invitation to the Artist’s Book / City as Artist's subjectivity. Artist's book project. Catalog. (Rus & En) — SPb: Ed. T. Markova. 2020. — 128 p. — P. 23.

Modern art culture needs the artist's book. Unfortunately, those art direction can be promoted only by artistic enthusiasts. It should be the publishers who understand that the artist’s book is also an act of self-expression.
- Alexander Borovsky Invitation to the Artist’s Book / City as Artist's subjectivity. Artist's book project. Catalog. (Rus & En) — SPb: Ed. T. Markova. 2020. — 128 p. — P. 29.