Favorite Things: An Exhibition of Artist Books in Memory of David Logan, 1918–2011

The Reva and David Logan Gallery of Illustrated Books was one of David Logan’s favorite things. In 1998, Logan and his wife, Reva, gave their outstanding collection of more than 300 modern artist books to the Fine Arts Museums; their generous gift was celebrated that year in a newly constructed gallery named for them at the Legion of Honor. Since then, the gallery has been devoted to exhibitions celebrating the excellence and diversity of the artist book, a unique art form that combines text with art (usually in the form of original prints) to form a unified whole.

Favorite Things honors the memory of David Logan, who died earlier this year and who enthusiastically supported museum efforts to showcase artist books, whether from his own collection or new acquisitions. Highlights represent the Logans’ early collecting efforts in the 1970s, including the first book acquired by the couple, Joan Miró’s À toute épreuve (1958), the artist’s greatest achievement in his distinguished career as a book illustrator and an auspicious beginning for the Logan collection.