Jef Geys, Catalogue Raisonnable, is a meticulously assembled monograph, that brings together extensive archival research, translations of original texts, previously unpublished works and documents, and more than a thousand illustrations.
“Undertaking this book was as perilous as attempting to contain Jef Geys (29 May 1934 – 12 February 2018) in a large survey exhibition - an epic if not reckless task. Geys’ approach to publishing and exhibitions was as idiosyncratic as it was uncompromising. He controlled every detail with a logic that was both inherently subjective and intentionally elusive.
Yet here we are, having dared to work the tightrope: a two-act venture comprising the expansive exhibition You Don’t See What You Think You See at WIELS 2024 and this publication, Geys’s “Catalogue Raisonnable” the first monographic survey ever dedicated to this singular artist “… wrote Charlotte Friling in the editor’s note.
The publication has informed and was informed by the exhibition Jef Geys, You Don't See What You Think You See at Wiels Brussels, 2 February – 19 May, 2024
Edited by Charlotte Friling in close collaboration with the Jef Geys Estate
Authors : Charlotte Friling and Dirk Snauwaert
Research and Editorial Assistants : Oriana Lemmens and Kaat Obbels
Graphic Design : Joris Kritis and Adriaan Van Leuve
