Peter Downsbrough (*1940 in New Jersey) studied art and architecture and, like Robert Barry, Sol LeWitt, Ed Ruscha, and Lawrence Weiner, is one of the artists who continue to use the book as another space to present their work. Since the early seventies, he has incorporated text and line drawings into his books, later integrating maps and photos of urban spaces. His consistent and sharply delineated oeuvre is devoted to examining the meaning of “space.” In 1993, the publisher, book collector, and curator Guy Schraenen commented the following on Downsbrough’s publications: “We could talk about the zero degree of the book, since it presents itself here in its simplest form.” The book object Peter Downsbrough has created for this edition combines elements that are very typical of his work: a handmade box contains, among other things, a construction drawing and the “building materials” for a few lines and letters, and thus the basic building blocks for creating books.
