Brion Gysin's book: Setting yourself up for the multimedia age - Thames and Hudson

Painter, writer, sound poet, lyricist, performer – Brion Gysin first gained prominence in the 1950s amidst the vibrant atmosphere of the so-called Paris Beat hotel. His extensive range of radical ideas became an inspiration for both Beat Generation artists and their successors (including David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Keith Haring, and Laurie Anderson). As a painter, Gysin is remembered for his evocative views of the Sahara and for unprecedented abstract calligraphic works inspired by Japanese and Arabic scripts. His later discovery of the potential of a paint roller to create an unlimited number of ready-made grids laid the foundation for the unique "roll poems" of the 1970s. This concept was expanded to include the use of 35mm film to create photographic sequences depicting the construction of the Centre Pompidou (Beaubourg) in Paris.

Accidental observation of Gysin's random word combinations led to the development of cutting techniques by his friend William S. Burroughs, with whom he collaborated primarily on the production of The Third Mind (1978). Gysin's ideas also included permutated poems and the development of the Dreamachine in 1961 – “the first artistic object with closed eyes” – capable of inducing altered states of consciousness in viewers, as well as light shows and stage performances in collaboration with leading musicians such as Steve Lacy and Ramuntcho Matta. The very diversity of visual materials illustrated in the first comprehensive study of Gysin’s life and work reveals him as an outstanding artist. The accompanying texts include a biographical outline, firsthand memories from friends and contemporaries such as John Giorno and Bernard Heidsieck, as well as analyses of his work and ideas by later scholars.

The Thames & Hudson brand was founded in 1949 by Walter and Eva Neurath. Their greatest passion and mission was to create a “museum without walls” and to make the world of art and leading scientific research accessible to a broad audience. To reflect international perspectives, the company’s name combined the rivers flowing through London and New York, represented in its logo by two dolphins symbolizing friendship and intelligence, one oriented eastward, the other westward, suggesting a connection between the Old World and the New.

Today, still an independent, family-run publisher, Thames & Hudson is one of the world’s leading publishers of illustrated books, with over 2000 titles printed. It publishes high-quality collectible books across all areas of visual creativity: fine arts, applied arts, decorative arts, performing arts, architecture, design, photography, fashion, film, and music, as well as archaeology, history, and popular culture. The list of children’s books is also expanding. Headquartered in London with a sister company in New York and branches in Melbourne, Singapore, and Hong Kong. In Paris, another subsidiary, Interart, distributes English-language books in France.

History of the Thames & Hudson brand

Walter Neurath was born in Vienna in 1903. In 1938, he left his hometown—where he ran an art gallery and published illustrated books—for London. Initially, he worked as a production director at Adprint, a brand founded by Viennese émigré Wolfgang Foge. Neurath and Foge developed an innovative concept now known as book packaging (or accompanying publishing), where book ideas are developed, ordered, produced, and sold to publishers operating across different markets and languages to create large print runs and reduce unit production costs. Neurath’s concept was the first of many innovations introduced into the publishing world by Thames & Hudson.

Seeking to continue the packaging of collectible books in a second edition and recognizing the need to amortize the high costs of producing illustrated books, Neurath established his own publishing house with offices in London and New York in the fall of 1949. Eva Neurath, who arrived in London from Berlin in 1939, was a co-founder.

Of the ten titles published on the initial list by Thames & Hudson in 1950, *English Cathedrals*, with photographs by Martin Hürlimann, were the first and achieved the greatest success. The strong conviction of {brand|company} from the very beginning regarding the longevity of books remained in print until 1971. In the first year of publication, Albert Einstein's *Out of My Later Years* also appeared, an early indicator of the program's breadth. As the list gradually expanded—from ten titles in 1950 to 144 in 1955—the company moved its offices to High Holborn and in 1956 relocated to a Georgian townhouse at 30 Bloomsbury Street, near Bedford Square, becoming the epicenter of book publishing in London. The manufacturing remained at this address, eventually expanding to five houses by 1999, when it returned to High Holborn.

In 1958, Thames & Hudson launched one of its most renowned series, *World of Art*, which became the foundation of a very diverse list. Characterized by pocket-sized editions and black spines, the series expanded in just seven years to include 49 titles. Nearly 60 years later, the series boasts over 300 titles, which, according to Christopher Frayling, are “stained with paint copies” in every art school across the country.

Other important series that added depth and prestige to the list include *Ancient People and Places*, edited by Glyn Daniel, who from the 1950s contributed to pioneering interest in archaeology, both in book form and television. Over 34 titles have been published in this series over 34 years. The large-format *Great Civilizations* series, published in 1961, featured contributions from esteemed scholars such as Alan Bullock, Asa Briggs, Hugh Trevor-Roper, A. J. P. Taylor, and John Julius Norwich.
After establishing one of the most significant publishing houses in Europe in less than two decades, Walter Neurath died in 1967 at the age of 63. Sculptor Henry Moore wrote that “his death was a loss to our cultural life.” Sir Herbert Read noted that Neurath “more than anyone else was responsible for the revolution in art publishing” and was “one of those rare entrepreneurs who successfully combine business acumen with idealism.” Eva Neurath became chairwoman. Walter’s son, Thomas, who joined the company in 1961 along with his sister Constance, became managing director; Constance later served as artistic director for several decades. Both Thomas and Constance remain on the Thames & Hudson board, as do Thomas’s daughters, Johanna and Susanna.

From producing the first commercial edition of *The Book of Kells* to the triumphant publication of the six-volume *Vincent van Gogh - Letters*, from technical innovations like “French folds” to the controversial documentation of graffiti art in *Subway Art*, Thames & Hudson has always been at the forefront, both culturally and in production techniques.

The year 2016 marked an extraordinary new chapter for the company, announcing publishing partnerships with two of the world’s most important museums: British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum.

The world of art and scholarship remains at the heart of Thames & Hudson’s publishing program, which remains true to its core principle: providing a “museum without walls.”
Today, Thames & Hudson is a recognizable international brand, a symbol of British publishing. Its catalog includes thousands of original titles, many of which are prestigious collector’s editions.

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