The romance of hand-painted signage, courtesy of Belle Époque France

Graphic designers, typographers and Francophiles, rejoice! Letterform Archive has published the book you didn’t know you needed, but without which you will no longer be able to live. Collecting twelve gorgeous vintage alphabet albums used by 19th and 20th-century French sign painters during the golden age of hand-painted storefront signage, this oversized compendium functions as both a history lesson and a treasure-trove of templates for contemporary use. Originally published for tradesmen only, most of these familiar, yet ever so exotic abecedaria have never been published before. Expert sign painter and historian Morgane Côme writes: “As models, the plates from these portfolios are just waiting to be reused, revisited and adapted to the expectations of the twenty-first century. Designers may look to them as a valuable sourcebook for past styles or find jumping-off points to make something new. Digital-type revivals and experiments, perhaps even new tools for public lettering, could grow from the inventive letterforms and compositions that lie within. For those of us involved in sign painting, a trade that once almost vanished in France, these plates help anchor the practice in history. Now is an exciting moment. Although our numbers remain small (perhaps a hundred professionals, compared to five thousand in 1980), today we inherit a craft less closely tethered to decoration and more open to invention.”

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Published by Letterform Archive Books, 2026

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Artbook @ Minneapolis Institute of Art: The Store at Mia

We send love to our friends at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, to our colleagues at the Mia store, and to all in the Twin Cities who have stood up to corrupt and hostile power during the recent protests. One thing the world knows now: Minneapolis is brave. If and when the museum reopens, we would like to remind all in our community of the safe haven that Mia represents.

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Walker Art Center

We are pleased to draw attention to the world renowned publications program at the Walker Art Center, proudly located in Minneapolis—current epicenter of America's battle for immigrant and American civil rights. Founded in 1927, the Walker Art Center began as the first public art gallery in the Upper Midwest. Today, the Walker is recognized internationally as a singular model of a multidisciplinary arts organization and as a national leader for its innovative approaches to audience engagement. In particular, the Walker's publications program is known for its marriage of innovative graphic design and curatorial rigor. Of special note is the catalog to the Walker's current exhibition, Dyani White Hawk: Love Language, a landmark mid-career survey for the famed Lakota artist known for her monumental geometric paintings and installations incorporating traditional quillwork and beadwork.

CURATED ART LIBRARIES

Curated Libraries by Movement and Subject Area

Shop By Color	Black Art & Culture	Women Artists	Illustrated Literary Classics
Danish Design	Classic Photobooks	Pop Art	Outsider Art
Avant Garde Music & Dance	Product Design Bookshelf	Performance Art	Bauhaus
Surrealism	Dada	Contemporary Figurative Painting	Modern and Contemporary Drawing
Photography: Photojournalism	Photography: Polaroids	Feminist Art	Graphic Design Bookshelf
Photography: New Topographics	Sound Art	Collage & Photomontage	Architecture: Essential Books
Urban Studies	German Expressionism	Curatorial Studies	Contemporary Sculpture
Prints & Graphics	Pacific Standard Time	Pictures Generation	Beautiful Losers
Nouveau Realisme	Sustainable Design	Films & Filmmakers	Relational Aesthetics
Conceptual Art	Lee Friedlander Library	Artists Books	Essential Photography Reference Books