Arts Library Special Collections

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Out of the Sky: Remembering 9/11 on display Sept. 9-12

Pfeiffer published "Out of the Sky: Remembering 9/11" in commemoration of the fifth anniversary and “in memory of the victims of 9-11.”  As presented, the work is in its completed state.  However, the intention of the artist is for the reader to “read” the piece during assembly.  He writes in the introduction: “Like most of my books OUT OF THE SKY is an interactive piece, which requires a ‘hands-on’ attitude to read.  It is a three dimensional book consisting of a group of large woodcuts in the shape of two towers, each over five feet tall.

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Interviews with book artist Richard Minsky

First amendment Bill of Rights

Short interviews with book artist Richard Minsky about specific items in the Archive are available. Each interview sheds light on Minsky’s creative process and situates the artifacts in the Archive into the picture of his career. Recounted with Minsky’s characteristic humor, the interviews are entertaining as well as educational.

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Birren Collection of Books on Color

Sample page with color blocks.

Faber Birren (1900-1988) was a leading authority on the effects of color on humans as well as a dedicated collector of texts on color. The Birren Collection is particularly strong in color systems, color standards, and color nomenclature. Color theory, artists' manuals and treatises, and color techniques are also well represented. In addition, the collection has materials on vision, psychology, printing and the graphic arts, textiles, music, religion, biology, medicine, heraldry, and the occult and ranges from the 16th century to the contemporary.

Search the Birren Collection of Books on Color

Close up from a plate in Principles of the science of colour, 1868

Close up from a plate in Principles of the science of colour, 1868

The Arts Library Special Collections holds the Faber Birren Collection - a collection of books and ephemera relating to color and spanning several centuries. 

Related Links: 
The Birren Collection database of images
More information on the Faber Birren Collection
More information on Benson's Principles of the science of colour
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Arts Library Special Collections

Explore the Arts Library Special Collections

To find current access policy for non-Yale researchers, please see Plan your visit.
To see current opening hours, visit the Buildings & Hours page. Seat reservations may be required during recess.
Questions? Visit our Accessing Arts Library Special Collections guide or email us at haasalsc@yale.edu

The Arts Library Special Collections (ALSC) are composed of materials from the former Art+Architecture and Drama libraries, as well as the Arts of the Book Collection.  ALSC  holdings include contemporary catalogues raisonnés,  18th- and 19th-century works on artists and architecture, a broad selection of fine press and artists’ books, rare research materials in support of these subject areas, and the Faber  Birren Collection of Books on Color.

In addition, ALSC has manuscript and archival holdings in book arts, art history, and drama. Theatrical production is docu­mented through photographs, production books, scrapbooks, and ephemera. The Yale Bookplate Collection contains ex-libris prints and process materials, such as original sketches, plates, and woodblocks. The Arts of the Book Collection maintains archives of Fritz Eichenberg, Fritz Kredel, Richard Minsky, Carl P. Rollins, and many smaller collections about the book arts.

ALSC showcases its collections in the William H. Wright Special Collections Exhibition Area on the lower level of the Haas Family Arts Library. ALSC collections, exhibitions, and related programs are free and open to the public (due to COVID 19 restrictions, exhibitions are currently open only to Yale affiliates authorized on campus).

Research Inquiries

The staff at Arts Library Special Collections can assist you with your research in a number of ways. If you have a general question in the arts, one of these subject specialists may also be able to assist you.  Librarians are trained to assist researchers to find materials of interest and to teach researchers the skills needed to find desired materials on their own.

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