Vitamin C+

As seen in Forbes, Colossal, and The Art Newspaper

Over 100 global artists working with collage, as chosen by a team of art experts – an indispensable who’s who of the most exciting and innovative names working in the medium

Collage is an artistic language comprising found images, fragmentary forms, and unexpected juxtapositions. While it first gained status as high art in the early twentieth century, the past decade has seen a fresh explosion of artists using this dynamic and experimental approach to image making.

Organised in an A-Z sequence by artist, the book features both well-known collagists including Njideka Akunyili Crosby; Ellen Gallagher; Peter Kennard; Linder, Christian Marclay; Wangechi Mutu; Deborah Roberts; Martha Rosler; and Mickalene Thomas, and a plethora of lesser-known names deserving of greater attention. Taking a broad definition – from analog cut-and-paste compositions and photomontages to digital composed imagery and animations – Vitamin C+ showcases 108 living artists who employ collage as a central part of their visual-art practice, as selected by 69 leading experts, including museum directors, curators, critics, and collectors. The survey also features an engaging and informative introduction by Yuval Etgar, an internationally renowned expert in the area.

The 69 expert nominators include: Cecilia Alemani; Iwona Blazwick; David Campany; Raphael Chikukwa; Patrick Elliott; Max Hollein; Hettie Judah; Christine Macel; Roxana Marcoci; Duro Olowu; Scott Rothkopf; Russell Tovey; Zoe Whitley; and Heidi Zuckerman.

Artists include: Njideka Akunyili Crosby; Kader Attia; Adam Broomberg; Sara Cwynar; Moyna Flannigan; Ellen Gallagher; Lauren Halsey; Lyle Ashton Harris; Thomas Hirschhorn; Peter Kennard; Justine Kurland; Linder; Christian Marclay; Wangechi Mutu; Frida Orupabo; Heather Philipson; Tabita Rezaire; Deborah Roberts; Martha Rosler; Dee Shapiro; Eva Stenram; John Stezaker; Mickalene Thomas; Kara Walker; and Billie Zangewa.

Editorial Reviews

‘Contemporary artists utilize collage to create complex social, political, and aesthetic narratives in latest Phaidon tome.’ – Forbes

‘If you have ever overlooked collage and considered it as a lesser art medium or a refined form of craft, Phaidon’s new Vitamin C+ Collage in Contemporary Art is a definitive book that will completely change your mind.’ – Daily Art Magazine
– From the Publisher

04/01/2023

Given the range of materials and techniques used, both analog and digital, how does one define collage? It is often disruptive, as art historian Yuval Etgar (Cut and Paste: Four Hundred Years of Collage; The Ends of Collage) asserts in his wide-ranging introduction to this volume, the most recent in Phaidon’s „Vitamin“ series, which brings to light often-marginalized artistic media, as discussed by contemporary artists. Etgar’s introduction puts the work of 108 contemporary artists into historical context alongside the collage works of modernist masters like Jean Arp, Pablo Picasso, and Kurt Schwitters. The book’s 69-member nominating committee for inclusion consists of critics, collectors, and curators from around the globe, profiling the work of an equally diverse and international group of artists. Each is profiled with a short descriptive essay on the artist’s themes and influences as well as an illustrated sample of representative recent works. The art may be created with paper and paint, or found objects and video, bearing out Etgar’s premise that collage today can be considered an art that is post-medium. It draws upon both age-old traditions and forges new territories in contemporary art. VERDICT This global review of collage in today’s art world will serve both as a launching pad for exploration and as inspiration for creatives.–Nancy B. Turner
– Library Journal