PHAIDON PRESS CELEBRATES 100 YEARS AS THE LONGEST-STANDING CREATIVE ARTS PUBLISHER

Phaidon invented the accessible art book, setting the standard for beautifully created art books for a mass audience.

NEW YORK, April 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Phaidon Press, a leading global publisher of art, architecture, design, fashion, photography, food and popular culture titles, as well as illustrated books for children, is proud to celebrate its 100th anniversary in September 2023.

 In 1923, Phaidon was founded in Vienna by Dr Béla Horovitz, Frederick “Fritz” Ungar, and Ludwig Goldscheider, who named the company after Phaedo of Elis, a pupil of Socrates. Their vision was to create elegantly produced, accessibly priced art books — something that had not been done before.

Phaidon pioneered the large-format illustrated artist monograph and has since published bestselling, groundbreaking and award-winning books in collaboration with the world’s most influential creators and brands, from Rihanna, Grace Coddington, Mickalene Thomas, and Sir David Adjaye to Massimo Bottura, JR, and Nike. Today, Phaidon is the leading global publisher in the creative arts with 50 million books sold in 40 languages and 1,500 titles in print.

“A century after Phaidon’s formation, one thing hasn’t changed: our belief that books should enlighten, delight, and inspire. We pride ourselves on elevating our books into an art form. We look forward to the next one hundred years.” – Keith Fox, CEO, Phaidon Press

Phaidon’s many milestones include:

• 1950: E.H. Gombrich’s The Story of Art revolutionized art publishing, going on to sell 8 million copies worldwide and ranking on the TIME all-time 100 best nonfiction book list.
• 1951: Van Gogh 50 Plates in Full Colour pioneered the process by which artists’ work became readily available in color at an affordable price.
• 2000: Phaidon published Fresh Cream, an art book enclosed in an inflated plastic “pillow” slipcover, pushing the boundaries of what format a book could take and cementing Phaidon’s position as an innovative leader in book design.
• 2004: Phaidon invented the highly successful geographically-organized “Atlas” format with the Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture.
• 2005: Phaidon entered the culinary category with The Silver Spoon, ultimately selling over 6 million cookbooks featuring the elevated design and production previously reserved for art titles.
• 2014: Phaidon acquired the art selling business Artspace, whose editions business includes collaborations with artists Cecily Brown, Rashid Johnson, and Sarah Sze.
• In 2020: Phaidon acquired The Monacelli Press from its founder Gianfranco Monacelli.

Phaidon will mark its 100th anniversary with a global program of events, exhibitions, original digital content, and sales initiatives, as well as a limited edition book, 100 Years of Creativity, publishing on September 15, 2023.

100 Years of Creativity presents original, visual contributions from 100 living artists, writers, designers, architects, illustrators, and chefs previously published by Phaidon, including photographers Annie Leibovitz and Stephen Shore, chefs Ferran Adrià and Ana Roš, artists Lorna Simpson and Yoshitomo Nara, and designers Dieter Rams and Todd Oldham, among others. Each image will reflect a creative expression related to a number between 1 and 100. A limited edition of 1,000 copies,100 Years of Creativity will only be available as a gift from the publisher.

“100 Years of Creativity features contributions from treasured collaborators who embody the spirit of Phaidon’s core mission – to provide a platform for the great creative voices of our time.”  – Deb Aaronson, Vice President and Group Publisher, Phaidon

An exhibition of Phaidon books, also titled “100 Years of Creativity,” will present 100 lots spanning award-winning cover designs, bestsellers, limited editions, and more, from the 1930s through the present day. The exhibitions will take place in New York and London beginning this September. Details to be announced.

Phaidon’s 100th anniversary season publishing in Fall 2023 will feature an extraordinary range of titles from luminaries including Thom Browne, Linda Evangelista, Steven Meisel, Rashid Johnson, Helen Moleswoth, Chef Junghyun Park, KAWS, and Yoko Ono.

For more information about Phaidon Press please visit phaidon.com/anniversary

SOURCE Phaidon