Arts unravelled: how are art exhibition catalogues produced?

From the large-scale installations of Mike Nelson, to the enigmatic photography of Hiroshi Sugimoto and the intricate collages of Linder, each exhibition at our Hayward Gallery is very different to the next.

But whilst the look, feel and experience of the exhibitions may vary, there will always be consistencies, one of which is the production of the exhibition catalogue; as distinct as the shows they accompany, but each reliant on a trusted approach to production borne out of years of experience. So how are exhibition catalogues produced? How are they conceived? And how much involvement do the artists themselves have in their look and feel? We took the time to find out.

What’s the first step in producing an art exhibition catalogue?

Exhibition catalogues take a long time to put together, and so the process to produce them begins as soon as possible. In our case, that’s the moment an exhibition is confirmed. As soon as we know for certain an artist, or a group show, is coming to the Hayward Gallery, work begins on the catalogue, and leading that process is Hayward Gallery publisher Mary Richards.

‘First I meet with the gallery director, and the curator of the exhibition, to find out what’s going to be in the show,’ she explains. ‘We’ll meet the artist soon after, and together we’ll decide what sort of book we want to make; we’ll discuss possible authors and designers early on as they’re the first things we need to get in place… the catalogue is such an important part of the show, we want to make sure we have time to produce something very special’.

How many people does it take to make an art exhibition catalogue?

As publisher, Richards is responsible for guiding all aspects of the catalogue’s production, this includes editorial aspects, but also commissioning writers and designers, co-ordinating reproduction, printing and distribution, and of course liaising with the artists too.

‘At the Hayward Gallery, I work with the exhibition’s curator, assistant curator and curatorial assistant,’ explains Richards, ‘together we work out how best to represent what’s going to be in the show and in the catalogue. Beyond the gallery team, I’ll work with freelance authors, designers, copy-editors, reproduction houses, printers, distributors and sales reps, so the wider team is pretty big’.

How involved is an artist in their exhibition’s catalogue?

‘For most artists, working on the book is an exciting part of the exhibition process,’ says Richards, ‘after all, an exhibition is only open for a finite period of time – but the book will be on shelves and in libraries forever’. And so ‘we always work closely with the artists and will meet with them frequently – if that’s what they’d like. We discuss everything of significance with them – it’s their artwork, and we need to make sure they’re happy with the way it’s being represented’.

So does that mean that the artists will have a clear idea of how they want their exhibition catalogue to look? ‘Not necessarily from the outset, but they may have quite clear feelings once they see sample designs,’ explains Richards, adding that some artists do arrive knowing exactly what they want from their catalogue; ‘Gilbert & George designed the catalogue for 21ST CENTURY PICTURES themselves – I have a feeling they knew from the outset how they wanted it to look’. But whether the end goal is clear or evolving, the artists remain involved throughout. ‘We meet every few months, but we work particularly closely when the essays come in – as the artists and their studios will help with any fact checking – and when we’re colour proofing the images’.

For group exhibitions at the Hayward Gallery, such as When Forms Come Alive or In The Black Fantastic the approach is a little different. Rather than a single artist, it’s the show’s curator who drives the process, as ultimately it is their exhibition and their theme. But as Richards clarifies, while the artists are not as directly involved, producing the catalogue for a group exhibition remains a sizable task. ‘We still rely on the show’s artists and their teams to provide images and information, and with as many as 30 artists involved in such a show, we may need to be in touch with many different galleries and artist studios during the process.’

How many steps are there in the art exhibition catalogue design process?

The number of stages of the production of the catalogue will vary from exhibition to exhibition, artist to artist. Sometimes the concept may be completely reimagined along the way, ‘sometimes we have a very clear idea, and hit on the way the book will look right at the very beginning,’ says Richards. But either way, the approach to this process follows a familiar structure, with ‘a concept stage where we agree a format, typeface and image treatment’. And after that? ‘Then we refine, refine and refine.’

One of the key reasons that the catalogue production processes goes through many stages, particularly at the concept and design stage is that, like the exhibitions they represent, no two catalogues produced are the same. ‘We don’t work with standard sizes or formats; each book is unique,’ explains Richards, ‘we’ll look at the other books the artist has made in the past, and see if there’s anything they haven’t done before – or anything that’s worked particularly well that we’d like to expand or develop further’. 

How are the writers for an art exhibition catalogue chosen?

If you’ve ever sat down with a Hayward Gallery exhibition catalogue you’ll know that each one features fascinating essays from a breadth of experts, artists and writers. But how and why is each writer chosen for a particular artist? It begins with research. ‘Lots of research,’ explains Richards, ‘on who has, or perhaps more pertinently hasn’t, written on the artist before; the location of potential writers is considered too, in case we want or need the writer to visit the artist at their studio; and we’ll have discussions with the exhibitions curatorial team, the Hayward Gallery director, and of course the artists themselves to make choices too’. 

Determining the right writers for the right exhibition is no easy task, but as Richards enthuses, it’s also a challenge that brings great rewards. ‘Over 28 years, I’m lucky to have worked with wonderful authors who bring fresh and new perspectives, with highlights from my time at the Hayward Gallery including Edmund de Waal on Hiroshi Sugimoto, and Greta Thunberg and Rebecca Solnit for the group show Dear Earth. I previously worked at Tate Publishing, and during my time there Marina Warner wrote a wonderful essay for a Louise Bourgeois catalogue produced for the launch of Tate Modern. That was in 2000, and 25 years later I was delighted to work with her again when she contributed an essay to the catalogue for Linder: Danger Came Smiling’.

How are the photographs and images for an art exhibition catalogue chosen?

We’ve taken care of the words, but what about the all important photography? Each Hayward Gallery catalogue includes hundreds of images of the artist’s work, be they in close up, in the artist’s studio, or in situ in a gallery, so where do these come from? ‘Artists’ studios or their galleries usually hold extensive image archives, and are brilliant at helping to provide pictures of the works we’re going to be showing,’ explains Richards. But what if a work hasn’t been exhibited before, or is being made specifically for the Hayward Gallery exhibition, what happens then?

‘If the work is being made especially for the show, we try to get it photographed as early as possible so it can be in the catalogue. Installation shots – of the works in the Hayward Gallery – are always the most challenging. For Gilbert & George: 21ST CENTURY PICTURES, we took photos in the gallery on Sunday, placed them in the catalogue on Monday, printed those pages on Tuesday, and delivered the book on time for the opening the following week. That was a challenge for all involved!’

What are the big challenges in producing an art exhibition catalogue?

Turning around photos of the exhibition in situ the gallery is clearly one of the biggest challenges, but what are the others that Richards and her team face when producing catalogues for the Hayward Gallery? ‘Special production processes are always challenging. We often push boundaries and experiment with different print techniques – which requires testing and experimentation. For Haegue Yang: Leap Year, we created a die-cut cover with an exposed spine, which had several evolutions; for Tavares Strachan we briefly toyed with the idea of a ‘scratch-off’ cover!’

Sadly, that experiment didn’t come to fruition, but maybe the opportunity will come again. Aside from the challenges that come from our own desire to push the boundaries, are there any other common pinch points in the production of the catalogue? ‘Delivering the book on time for the opening is always a nerve-wracking moment,’ confirms Richards, ‘even when everything’s gone to plan, you’re still hoping that there are no last minute hitches’. But despite the stresses Richards is keen to point out that above all ‘it’s just such a privilege to work with artists directly on these books, to visit them in their studios and to get to know how they think about things’.

What’s the most important aspect of an art exhibition catalogue?

Even though producing an exhibition catalogue is such a sizable process, with so many factors to consider, Richards is in no doubt about the most important aspect of the finished book. ‘It’s the first impression. You need to hold it in your hands, flick through the pages and go ‘wow’! Later, once you’ve bought it, you’ll enjoy reading the essays, and over time you’ll spot all the tiny details we’ve been careful to include – quirky image juxtapositions, little production touches. Every page is carefully crafted. But it has to make that big first impression’.

So of the many exhibition catalogues she’s produced in her almost three decades of experience, does Richards have a favourite? ‘I can’t answer that – they’re like children to me!’

Header image: Artists Gilbert & George hold the catalogue for their Hayward Gallery exhibition 21ST CENTURY PICTURES, in front of SCAPEGOATED (2013). Photo by Mark Blower.