libri e librini

I am honored and pleased to participate in this project at The Cooper Union inNew York curated by Kim Shkapich to celebrate the publication of the bookAdjusting Foundations. The idea of an exhibition based on the creation of a bookis very interesting and I would like to offer my congratulations to everyoneinvolved in putting this show together.

My love of books came to me almost by osmosis, living in Turin˜where I wasborn and raised˜in a family headed by my father who is an artist. He had beeninvolved in publishing in Italy and throughout the world since the Sixties. After Igraduated with a degree in Art, I immediately began working in my father‚s stu-dio. Since 1983 I have edited and designed more than 200 books and catalogson art, design, and photography. The firsthand knowledge I gained though spen-ding hours in printing companies learning about printing techniques, the poten-tial of typographic machines, and various printing processes, provided a solidfoundation for my career in books. To design a book well one must use this basicknowledge to arrive at an optimal format and layout, and to choose the properpaper and binding method.

For Adjusting Foundations, published by The Monacelli Press, I was given Kim‚slayouts in the form of very precise, or rather, perfect mechanicals and it was apleasure to work with such carefully prepared material. The first materials ordummies in the book making process are often very rough and these “uglyducklings” have to be transformed into “beautiful swans.” It was my job to coor-dinate all of the different stages of production, all the way through to the actualprinting of the book.

Along with the mechanicals I received color transparencies for each image in thebook. These transparencies were scanned by a photolithographer according tothe designer‚s instructions. Then we made the first color proofs for the book,printed on paper. This is done by using a small offset printing press and theactual paper stock that will be used in the final book. Another way to make colorproofs is to a chemical process to make color outputs, the most common sys-tems are called cromalin and matchprint. The first proofs for AdjustingFoundations were made on paper, and the final corrections were made using cro-malins.

Once the color proofing is finished, one can proceed to make a blueprint.Here all the pages of the book are assembled, combining both the images andthe text, so that one can verify that every element is in place. This verificationinvolves checking the orientation and alignment of the images and the text.Before printing, a second blueprint is made that incorporates all the final correc-tions. Once the blueprints have been approved, the printing plates are preparedare we are ready to go to press. It took eighteen hours to print the inside ofAdjusting Foundations and four hours to print the cover. I personally oversaw all

the press start-ups and made sure that the printed sheets matched the proofsas closely as possible. With the help of a team of excellent technicians at PozzoGros Monti, who are very experienced in printing art books, I was able achieve avery high quality result.

Once the printing is finished and the sheets are dry, the folding, gathering, andtrimming of the sheets can begin. The cover is coated with an a special opaquematte lamination. After these processes are complete the book is sewn andbound. When the books are finished, they are then individually shrink-wrapped,packed in cartons, and shipped to New York.

All of this may seem very easy, but only those who have worked in the field foryears know how much anxiety and emotion accompanies the production of everybook. I have always said that every book has a story to tell, and perhaps oneday I will write a book about what goes on behind the scenes.

If I have not mentioned some of the new technologies that are currently beingused in book production, it is not because of negligence. I learned how to makebooks using traditional methods, with sketched layouts, black and white photo-copies, typewritten texts, and a lot of imagination and fantasy. Today it is rare towork with typewritten texts and with images that need to be scaled. Layouts forbooks are now created and transmitted in digital form. The internet now allowsus to visit the Louvre or read a book on our computer screens. This is surely agreat achievement but it will never take the place of the feeling of standing infront of a painting or leafing through a freshly printed book that still has thesmell of glue. These are visual and tactile pleasures that even the most sophisti-cated technologies will never be able to convey. I am convinced that digitalmedia should not be seen as an alternative to the printed book, but rather as avehicle that can produce stimulating and interesting synergies, as long asthese elements are made to coexist correctly.

Though books have lost their age old privilege of being the only supportstructure of culture and may one day be defeated by digital media, I hopethat printed books will continue to be given their due for centuries tocome.

Paola Gribaudo

New York,September 1995

43

Anna Bialobroda | Dominique HaimChanin Fine Arts, New York

Hugues Decointet | Maitres Anciens | disegnodiverso, Torino

Vincent Desiderio | Marlborough Gallery,New York

Gribaudo | Galleria Porta Rose, Garessio

Va’ Pensiero Arte Italiana 1984-1996 |Edizioni d’Arte Fratelli Pozzo, Moncalieri

Hunt Slonem | Exotica | Edizioni d’Arte Fratelli Pozzo, Moncalieri

John Hejduck | Pewter Wings, GoldenHorns, Stone Veils | The Monacelli Press,New York

Antonin Kratochvil | Broken Dream:Twenty Years of War in Eastern Europe |The Monacelli Press, New York

Brian Clarke | Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York

Alex Webb | AmazonFrom the Floodplains to the Clouds | The Monacelli Press, New York

Margaret Courtney-Clarke | Places in the Sand | The Monacelli Press, New York

Donald Bæchler | Tony Shafrazi Gallery,New York

Karl Gerstner | Marlborough Gallery, New York

Remo Guidieri | ArgonauticsPhilosophical Flaneries |

The Cooper Union, New York

Susan Graham | New York

Patrick Demarchelier | Tony Shafrazi Editions New York andMarco Monterrey

Michael Ray Charles |Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York

G. Sarti | Trente-Trois Primitifs Italiensde 1310 à 1500 | Paris

Bettina Werner | calendario | New York

Enzo Cucchi | Eneide | BrunoBischofberger, Zurigo

Matthew Barney | Cremaster 5 | Barbara Gladstone, New York

Magdalena Abakanowicz | Marlborough Gallery, New York

Julie Hedrick | Nohra Haime Gallery, New York

SCI-ARC From the Center: Design Process@ Sci-Arc | April GreimanThe Monacelli Press, New York

The Whitehead Collection Late 19th and 20th Century FrenchMasters | Achim Moeller Fine Art,New York

Adriana E. Barreda | Imagines de las alturas | Buenos Aires

Hunt Slonem, New YorkJohn C. Whitehead, Stephanie e Achim Moeller, New York Enzo Cucchi, VeneziaAntonin Kratochvil, Moncalieri

a15a14

I worked with Paola when I was publisher at Rizzoli America; and our collaboration was oneof those terrific, old-fashioned publisher/author relationships, where we taked about ideasand projects--and Paola would appear at our next meeting with perfect renditions of thebooks. Not that the renditions were just editorially perfect--with all the right authors andartworks and illustrations--but the books would be perfectly designed and produced andmanufactured, so that every book was extraordinary almost in the extreme. No detail wouldbe overlooked; every bit of the book would be exact. But the most exciting part of ourcollaboration was that the the final result, the book, came from ideas rather than prescribed"packages."

Paola follows a long-standing family tradition and probably one that is related to beingItalian, too--individualist creativity at the highest lev el. Always understanding what wouldinterest numbers of people, but coming at it from her own personal intellectual curiousityand high regard for distinction, Paola herself is extraordinary--even more so than theexceptional books that she has produced. She creates that wonderful ambience wherecolleagues become friends forever and the editorial process feels like a vacation from "work."

Marta Hallet

New York, October 2003

Dear Paola,

On the Twentieth Anniversary of your extraordinary career as an agent, adviser, coordinator,printer, designer, diplomat, and psychologist to your clients, I heartily congratulate you! I wish also to say a few words both as your friend and as your client. It has beenexceptionally gratifying to me that after so many years, we still enjoy a rewarding andharmonious relationship. Mutual respect and understanding have allowed us to discuss theproduction of each catalogue in minute detail, and as a result each project has been aresounding success. That you have chosen for your jubilee publication Philip Apeloig is further evidence of our closeness in mind and spirit and taste. It has always been a particular pleasure and privilege to work with you, dear Paola. I hopewe will continue to do so for at least another twenty years and to remain friends for manymore! Both Colette and I will always be grateful to you for your friendship.

Affectionately,

Achim Moeller

New York,May 2004

It was in 1974 that I first met Ezio Gribaudo and began working with him on dozens ofexhibition catalogues.. Early on his young daughter Paola started to appear in thebackground, learning the ropes of art book publication from her formidable father – artist,aesthete, the first to discover many artists who later became household names; artists likeHenry Moore, Francis Bacon, Lucio Fontana, Burri visited the house and studio when Paolawas growing up.

When in 1983 it came time to put together a monograph on my art and life, Paola hadbecome a significant force in Ezio’s work. The two volume book took three years tocomplete, as we kept adding new series that I was creating at the time, as newdocumentary material became available, as various Russian collaborators succumbed to thecharms of Italian grappa. Finally in 1985 we actually went to print, and Paola showed herselfto be already an accomplished professional in all aspects of the business of book creation,from negotiations with printers all the way to checking captions for the 1,000 illustrations.Ever since, Paola has shepherded my books and catalogues to completion, always tactful,always helpful, with a light professional editorial touch. She is universally liked and admiredby those who come in contact with her, be they publishers or artists or printers orphotographers.

Ezio and Paola and the whole Gribaudo family long ago became my long-lost Italian cousins,and it is always with great joy that I begin work on a new publication, knowing it will give usan excuse to spend time together. Ezio once told me that exhibitions come and go, but thecatalogue remains. Paola has embraced this mission and carries it off with good humor andclass.

Mihail Chemiakin

Claverack,January 2004

It has always been a pleasure to work with Paola, whose imaginative approach to designmakes the resulting publication something particularly satisfying and enjoyable to read andstudy. Artists and authors both are delighted with the result of her imagination andperfectionist approach.

Barbara Lloyd

London, October 2004

49a16

1999Ellen Berkenblit | Anton Kern Gallery,New York

Sylvia Martins | Gallery 27, London

Enrico Baj | Dame coccarde e distintividal 1947 al 1997 | Christian Marinotti Edizioni, Milano

Hans Hofmann | schede | Ameringer Howard Gallery, New York

Bill Jacklin | Marlborough Gallery, New York

Guillermo Roux | Marlborough Gallery,Madrid

Annalisa Cima | Edizioni d’Arte FratelliPozzo, Moncalieri

Botero | Dibujos Museo de ArteContemporaneo de Caracas Sofìa Imber

Robert Rauschenberg | Lawrence Rubin Gallery, Milano

Nicolai Makarov | Mimi Ferzt Gallery, New York


Norma Bessouet | en el Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes Buenos Aires

Beverly Pepper | Marlborough Chelsea,New York

Botero | Ristampa | Marco Monterrey,Mexico

Botero | Ristampa | Villegas, Bogotà

En Torno a Velasquez | pintura espanoladel siglo de oro | The Apelles Collection,Santiago de Chile

Janis Jakobson | Mimi Ferzt Gallery, New York

Ezio Gribaudo | Logogrifi, totem e altre partiture Spoleto | Christian Marinotti Edizioni, Milano

Hiro Yamagata | Marlborough Gallery,New York

Thomas Sanchez | Marlborough Gallery,New York

Fabio Carapezza | Vincenzo Consolo |Piero Guccione | Giuseppe Tornatore |Guttuso | RCS Rizzoli, Milano

Manolo Valdes, New York Gigi Bou, Venezia

Paola

Like a Milanese couture designer, you create books that give their subjectsa regal glow. Always respecting the forms of the artist, you shapesuperb inventions that are imaginative and unusually special– deluxe, truly.Your books are works worth owning just for the feel of them; they arebookmaking riches at the very highest level.

While you are modestly and determinedly invisible about your craftsmanship,always giving the artist pride of place, you make us publishers so veryproud and inspire us to reach for higher goals in all we do.

Love

Charles Miers

PublisherRizzoli International PublicationsRizzoli and Universe, New York,January 2004

Dear Paola, Just a few lines to congratulate you on our new book. Your professionalism, your efficiency and your taste have been greatly appreciated over the many years that you have done catalogues and books for the Marlborough Galleries in New York, Madrid,London and Monaco, from the Botero book in 1988 to the Grooms monograph of 2004.

Looking forward to many more collaborations,

Pierre Levai

New York,September 2004

Ellen Berkenbilt, Anton Kern, New York

About friendship and fine art

There are times when one has occasion to think back over one’s life andponder what made any particular phase of it just so. Almost always itinvolves someone who at that time gave a push in the right direction by pointing to a new or unexpected path. Oftentimes such encounters weretemporary, but generally they led to more lasting relationships broadeningones outlook and encouraging yet wider excursions. In some cases one can’teven remember the first meeting because it was so fleeting and unassuming.In time it developed somehow and made one feel as if had existed always and would never end.

Such an encounter took place in New York City some time in the 1980s.Paola Gribaudo came, quietly as is her want, to the Rizzoli offices to propose a book, or maybe several - the memory is hazy - on artists that she appearedto know personally and appreciate profoundly. Her attitude was diametricallyopposite to that of many book packagers whose fast-paced patter is driven by the need to sell an idea then and there. It seemed that for Paola time wasless important than substance.

And so we agreed on some projects, hesitatingly on my part - having limitedexperience with designers who also could deliver the artist - but there was clearly no hesitation for Paola. She knew, she could, she did, and shedelivered. All this started before the ease of internet communication wasfully at our fingertips and packages of proofs were eagerly awaited, sorted,checked, poored over, commented on and returned with scribbles that mightseem cryptic to the sophisticated players in publishing today.

All through the ups and downs Paola kept her cool, wise enough to allow thepublishers’ cranky requests when it didn’t hurt her idea of the outcome. She was always prepared to argue a point or, if necessary, back down in theface of issues related to marketing, knowing that the refinements of a bookwill frequently, though regrettably, play second fiddle to the attributes that areperceived to generate sales.

In other ways, getting to know, even fleetingly, some of Paola’s artist friendsand getting acquainted with her own work continues to be enriching.Imaginary bridges are stretched out from the coast of Italy to the beaches of Long Island for thoughts and ideas to scuttle across unhindered. Let it be so for years to come!

Solveig Williams

Hampton Bays, New YorkNovember, 2003

a23a22

text to camepomodoro

A BOOK IS BORN

(Paola) - " Allo? Allo? Pronto, Gladys, Gladyyyys!! Pronto?Glaaadyys, mi senti? Pronto, come, pronto ? "

(Konstantin)- " AAAHhhh darling, for God's sake, please goslowly, watch out, aah, aah aah, this car is coming towards us! But what is she saying? Are we on time, will I havethe book on time? OOhh, go slowly, ah ah la polizia!!

P. (calmly) - "Gladys ? Vengo subito, pronto, Gladys ?"

K. (hysterically) - "Paola dear, what is going on, tell me,you must !! it's my book after all…, ohoh secours, piano amore piano !"

P. (driving very fast, totally ignoring la polizia, but stopping promptly on the orange light) - "Konstantino caro, dont worry, of course you are very late with your drawings, but we will have iton time, I promise ! "

K. (a little reassured) - " but what about the colors, willthey be able to correct them? Oh Paolina, I am freaking out ............"

Between fast drives through Torino, car races to Geneva ,long conversations in Franco-english, and Greco-italian, endless Greek lessons, delicious lunches prepared divinely by Mrs Gribaudo, extraordinary art collections,hysteric monologues, international gossip, and sentimental confessions, under theunique vision of Alberto Savinio, like in an commedia dell’arte pantomime, a Greek dramaor a diplomatic farce served with tortelloni, books are produced with style andpanache, impeccably.To make a book with Paola is not only a sure success, but also a real pleasure. There is only onecondition .One has to go to Torino to work closely with her, it is so muchbetter. Paola has no time limits, if she wants the correct hue of orange, she will wait atthe lab, for hours, even days, till they produce it. You can give her a drawing the nightbefore, the next day it is in the book. If you deliver, she will deliver back more beautiful ,and if you write it in Greek, she will give it back to you in Spanish ! Like a magician of theancient times, with dedication, experience, patience and supreme kindness, she willproduce an object that people call a book. I call it "Paola's gift", she has the magictouch, the magic stick. And if one is patient enough will leave thecrisp air of Torino and in the far distance white mountains, with a finished book in hissuitcase, and if lucky with a kilo or two of freshly made ravioli and delicious chocolates…" Allo, allo, Pronto, PROOOOOntooo, Gladys, GlaaAAdyyyys, tutto bene ? Vengo subito !!!!!!! " ( Paola is driving fast to the next project, towards the ice-blue mountains )- Proonto, Pronto!!!!!! Arrivo.............

Konstantin Kakanias

Los Angeles,September 2004

Design | Philippe Apeloig assisted by Jürgen Waidelich

Fotografie dei libri | Filippo Gallino | Torino

Fotografie pages de garde | Young Jin Choi

Fotolito | Litho Art New | Torino

Carta | Fedrigoni Cartiere | Verona

Stampa | Grafiche Ferrero | Torino

Questo libro è offerto come regalo, nessuna di questecopie è per uso commerciale né può essere venduta

This book is offered as a gift, none of the copies wereprinted for commercial purposes, it cannot be sold,in any circumstances

© 2004 Paola Gribaudo

[email protected]