This term arose in the 1970s to encapsulate anything bookish made by individuals established in the visual-arts world or who had gone to art school. Like most art terms based on biography, rather than the intrinsic properties of the art, it was a marketing device, designed to sell works to an audience respectful of artists
; because of the biographical base, the term forbade qualitative distinctions, better
artists not necessarily producing superior books. Artistically considered, alternative book...
