The Strange Life of Objects:
The Art of Annette Lemieux

Artist Annette Lemieux’s work is multimedia, playful, humanist, unaffected, and referential, and we wanted the catalogue to embody all of those characteristics. The strength of Lemieux’s work lies in its rigor and “less is more” philosophy. There is also a sammelsurium nature to the work and materials — it’s a collection of all sorts of objects and materials and ideas. We hoped to strike a balance between these two extremes.

The body of the book uses stock and tint shifts to differentiate between content types, implementing a variety of materials and imbibing the object with playfulness but still establishing a clear structure for information. The oversized type demonstrates both playfulness and minimalism. The minimal typographic cover is an unusual choice for an art book, but it captures the pared-down essence of the work. Slightly smaller than a standard fiction hardcover and with a rounded spine, the catalogue references a Baedeker travel guide and feels good in the hand.

Society of Typographic Arts Chicago Design Archive Award: Judge’s Choice, 2011

Lelia Amalfitano, Judith Hoos Fox. Krannert Art Museum, 2011. 232 pages.