The collection of artists' books held by the Herzog August Bibliothek was founded in the 1950’s with contemporary works of art by well-known French painters, known as “livres de peintre”. Artists have approached the medium of the artists' book in both traditional as well as experimental ways and these developments can be traced in the library‘s internationally renowned collection.

Call for Entries:

The international call for applications is aimed at established book artists as well as the next generation of artists. It invites them to submit the concept for an artists' book that relates to the holdings or thematic focuses of the Herzog August Bibliothek. The Artists’ Book Prize includes prize money amounting to €6,000. The award holder will have the opportunity to work at the Herzog August Bibliothek Wolfenbüttel
for up to 1 month and be a part of the international group of scholars working there. The new artists' book, which is to be completed over the course of one year, will be presented at the official award ceremony in honour of the awardee.

Please find the call for entries for the Artists' Book Prize 2026 in the download area on the right.

Awardees:

2024: Clifton Meador (Vilas NC.), "Endloser Krieg / Endless War"

The artists’ book uses the Thirty Years’ War as a point of departure to explore the lasting impact of war up to the present day. Missed the award ceremony? Watch the full recording here! Discover the online exhibition “Dead Life” on Google Arts & Culture, featuring a selection of Clifton Meador’s artist’s books from the HAB collection. Curious about Meador’s inspirations, methods, and creative processes? Tune in to our podcast episode “Visual Expressions of War”.

2022: Beldan Sezen (New York and Amsterdam), "Spielraum"

Click here for the recording of the award ceremony. Tune in to our podcast HAB gehört for an interview with Beldan Sezen.

2020: Ulrike Stoltz (Berlin), "Caro Giordano. Eine Spurensuche"

Please click here for the recording of the award ceremony. An online exhibition of the artist's book is also available.

2019: Marshall Weber (New York), "The Wolfenbüttel People’s Library"

The results of the project were shown in an exhibition. Read our interview with Marshall Weber on the HABlog.

2018: Hyewon Jang (Halle) "Ordnung im Wissen – Zusammenfluss der Bestände"

The Jury:

The award is decided by a jury made up of the following individuals:

• Peter Burschel, Wolfenbüttel (Director of the Herzog August Bibliothek)
• Nikoline Kästner, Staufen (Conservator of Works on Paper)
• Dr Johannes Mangei, Wolfenbüttel (Deputy Director of the Herzog August Bibliothek)
• Manja Puschnerus, Wolfenbüttel (Executive Board Member, Curt Mast Jägermeister Foundation)
• Dr Sabine Solf, Wolfenbüttel (Chair)
• Dr Stefan Soltek, Offenbach (former Director of the Klingspor Museum)

Image: Clifton Meador (2024) Endloser Krieg / Endless War.