Best Laid Plans

Unrealized Projects from the Archives of American Art

Experience what could have been! Best Laid Plans delves into the wealth of unrealized artist projects documented in the collections of the Archives of American Art: unrealized artworks, publications, exhibitions, and other creative ventures that, for a variety of reasons, were planned but not brought to completion.

description

Best Laid Plans highlights rarely exhibited or published works that have survived and are documented thanks to the Archives of American Art. The publication draws from the vast collection of the Archives and introduces the reader to little-known or even unknown projects by influential artists and thinkers. By focusing exclusively on unrealized projects, the book offers an unconventional approach and view into the creative process. Illustrated throughout, the publication will feature an essay by exhibition curator Jacob Proctor, alongside interviews with contemporary artists Matt Mullican, Paul Ramirez Jonas, and Jessica Stockholder.

Featured artists: Robert Smithson, Nancy Holt, Jessica Stockholder, Matt Mullican, Nancy Spero, Leon Golub, Beverly Buchanan, Four Walls, Georgy Kepes, Robert Irwin, Stephen Antonakos, Carl Andre, Gregory Battcock, Bruce Conner, Joseph Cornell, Jackie Apple, Gretchen Bender, Jaime Davidovich, Ilene Segalove, Paul Ramirez Jonas, Roberta Allen, Walter Gropius, and Marcel Breuer, among others.

Details

Ed. Jacob Proctor

Not yet available,

released on 04/2026

Interviews with Jessica Stockholder, Paul Ramirez Jonas and Matt Mullican

200 pages, 150 illustrations,
17,8 x 25,4 cm / 7 × 10 inches,
Hardcover

ISBN: 978-3-7774-4688-2

Events

Washington D.C. | Archives of American Art

» to event