MoMA acquires 13,500 artists’ books

Franklin Furnace, promoters of installation, film and video art in New York has sold their collection of 13,500 artists’ books, magazines and audiotapes to the Museum of Modern Art. The institution’s collection will be integrated with the museum’s own, thus creating one of the largest and most significant holdings of such material in the world. Until now up to one-third of its budget and one- half of Franklin Furnace’s public space have been devoted to caring for this archive. They intend to use their newly available space to expand their performance art and exhibition programmes. These will now be able to return to their original location at 112 Franklin Street. Franklin Furnace was founded in 1976 as a bookstore and collection of artists’ books and soon developed into a forum for new art, particularly “time-based” work.