You can't put a value on art. Yet when it comes to the work of Philip Smith - British artist and design bookbinder - some curators have tried.
And the asking price is astronomical.At a time when written communication is becoming little more than blips on a computer screen, when authors seldom leave a "paper trail" of manuscripts and no one seems to communicate by handwritten letter, Smith has taken the written word in the opposite direction - enshrining it in some of the most original forms ever seen.
Smith began as an apprentice bookbinder in 1949 but soon outgrew his mentors and began working with "books as sculpture." His use of "book walls" - instead of book covers - and other innovations has allowed him to produce some of the most original volumes in history.
And at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 27, he will begin his final tour of the United States with a lecture and display of his work at the University of Utah Art & Architecture Building. For information call 581-8558.
"It is a spectacular coup for us to have him here," says Madelyn Garrett, rare book curator at the university. "He's responsible for the most imaginative work in the field. Having him here is nothing short of miraculous. He's a real hero to a lot of us."
Smith's view of books as three-dimensional objects and his use of unique leather inlays and feathered onlays challenge the very notion of what a book is and what it should look like. His work is so original, in fact, that most of the major museums in the world have snapped up copies - including the British Museum, the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Art Institute of Chicago. Private collectors, such as Alan Jay Lerner, have also purchased Smith originals.
In a special announcement, the University of Utah writes: "No other artist today has so influenced the direction of 20th-century book design. Noted for impeccable craftmanship as well as innovative design, Smith has set the standard, challenging, stimulating and provoking his contemporaries."