This selection of books collects titles in the Printed Matter collection that emerged from the flourishing art scene centered in New York’s East-Village during the late 1970s and 1980s.

The amalgam of artists, writers, and eccentrics whose work is presented, critiqued, and revered in these volumes played a pivotal role in shaping the cultural landscape and expanding lesser known art forms such as artists’ books, performance art, and experimental and concrete poetry. These titles offer a glittering portrait of the experimentation through which Downtown artists such as David Wojnarowitz, Cookie Mulller, Peter Hujar, Kevin Killian, Eileen Myles and Jeff Koons violated the distinction between “high” and “low,” bringing intimate, radical perspectives to the mood and events of the times.

Made up of original and reprinted works from the 70s and 80’s as well as contemporary titles which respond to or integrate Downtown artists’ works, this selection highlights New York’s creative history, which has played a decisive role in the contemporary landscape of artists’ publications.