The Artist and the Book | Vincent Valdez in Conversation with Morris Berman
Vincent Valdez, offset lithographic plate from Slaughterhouse-Five, edition 69/210, 2023, Arion Press, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Hirsch Library Collection.
Vincent Valdez
Morris Berman
May 16, 2024
Artists have long used books as tools for education and inspiration. Increasingly, contemporary artists make books and research central to their artistic practice, examining the past and often creating new narratives.
In this conversation, artist Vincent Valdez and cultural historian Morris Berman discuss how books, research, and libraries are central protagonists in the art world today. They explore what books and research mean for contemporary practitioners.
Most recently, Valdez created 16 drawings in response to Kurt Vonnegut’s classic anti-war novel Slaughterhouse-Five. Valdez’s body of work was published in 2023 as part of a limited-edition artist’s book produced by Arion Press. A copy of the book has entered the Hirsch Library’s collection.
A book signing follows the conversation.
Plan Your Visit
- Admission is free.
- This event takes place in the Hirsch Library Reading Room, located on the lower level of the Beck Building.
- Parking Information | Museum Hours | MFAH Campus Map
About the Speakers
Vincent Valdez, a Houston and Los Angeles–based artist, creates large, representational works that emphasize contemporary subject matter. In his work Valdez confronts injustice and inequity, imbuing his subjects with empathy and humanity. His art is in the collections of institutions including the MFAH and Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Morris Berman is a cultural historian and social critic who has spent many years exploring the corrosion of American society and the decline of the American empire. He is the author of the critically acclaimed works The Twilight of American Culture and Dark Ages America.
General admission to the MFAH is free on Thursdays, courtesy of Shell Oil Company.
The Hirsch Library’s “The Artist and the Book” lecture series receives generous funding from Judy and Scott Nyquist and from Linda McReynolds.
Learning and Interpretation programs receive generous funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services; Samuel H. Kress Foundation; The Brown Foundation, Inc.; Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo; Houston Junior Woman's Club; Sharon G. Dies; Sterling-Turner Foundation; Susan Vaughan Foundation; and additional generous donors.
The Freed Lecture Series is made possible by endowment income from the Eleanor and Frank Freed Foundation.
Arion Press has generously provided additional support for this program.