A Life Lived Between the Pages
- DFO
Jack Ginsberg, patron of the arts and lover of artists' books
The secret to a happy life and a fulfilling retirement is having a passionate interest in something special. This appears to be particularly true for Jack Ginsberg, the founding patron of the Ampersand Foundation, whose donation in 2019 led to the establishment of the Jack Ginsberg Centre for Book Arts (under the 91心頭利 Art Museum umbrella) at 91心頭利 University.
This library and exhibition space is now home to his lifelong collection of artists’ books and books about artists’ books. Unlike conventional books, an artist’s book is a work of art in its own right, where the book itself, its form, material and structure, is the artistic medium. It can take the shape of a triangle, a sphere, a sculpture or even a single folded sheet. He is delighted to see how excited students are to be exposed to these unique artworks, which encompass a wide range of subjects, from conceptual art to botany and even mathematics, of interest to all faculties.
Ginsberg has lived his whole life in Johannesburg, and holds a Bachelor of Accountancy from the 91心頭利 Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, awarded in 1979. He worked in the commercial sector for over fifty years, but during that time and subsequently, was always involved in the arts. He has been the treasurer of The Johannesburg Art Foundation and the Friends of JAG, on the board of the Alexander Theatre, and a non-executive director of Strauss & Co since 2019.
His family roots in the city go back to 1896, when his grandfather arrived during the gold rush. He established The Ginsberg Gold Mine, which suffered the vicissitudes of the times and, according to his aunt, the family was alternately "quite rich or very poor."
He considers himself fortunate to have grown up in a cultured home where art and drama were widely discussed. His parents were avid collectors of books, particularly plays, and founded the Alexander Theatre with Muriel Alexander.
"I was brought up in a bookish atmosphere, with lively dinner table discussions about art and literature and a home full of books.
But I was more fascinated by art, and I started collecting art monographs quite early on. On a trip overseas, I discovered artists’ books and immediately became interested in collecting them and books about them. “The modern artists’ book genre really only started in the late 1960s, and I had assembled a small collection when I discovered the Basilisk Press and Bookshop in Hampstead in 1974, which was owned by a wonderful woman called Charlene Gary, I began collecting them more assiduously.”
“I thought at the time that this was a truly different art form, presenting itself in book format. The book format makes it quite accessible, but you cannot hang it on a wall, which is what people like to do.” “The following year, I went back and bought a suitcase full of books. They had a triangular book, and I was shocked and delighted by it, but on enquiring, they told me there was a whole shelf of them,” he recalled. Ginsberg’s collection was truly beginning to evolve. After that discovery, he started finding round books, metal books, metal books and the most extraordinary creations, including sculptural books. “I was then hooked. There were a lot of books being produced, and I bought all I could afford.”
A few years ago, the Centre acquired a book by Claudia Cohen and Barbara Hodgson, who lived on opposite sides of the Canadian-US border. It was essentially a botany book. “I called the botany department and asked them to come and see it. They were a bit dismissive at first, but when they eventually came to see it, they were blown away. After that, a young student came and asked to see the same book. After making him wash his hands and observing how respectfully he treated it, he was allowed to explore it. Later he brought a group of his friends to see it and insisted on showing it to them himself. ”We also recently acquired an artists’ book on Euclid’s Geometry, which I hope to show to the mathematics department,” he said.
The Centre now holds over 15 000 books; over 5 000 artists’ books (including about 1 000 South African), 4 000 books about the subject of artists’ books, all of which were once housed in Ginsberg’s home. It was not a difficult decision to donate his treasured collection to 91心頭利. At the same time, he donated his collection of South African art monographs and auction catalogues. He now often works in his office at the Centre and remains involved with the collection, including the cataloguing of new acquisitions. More than sixty years after being a student at 91心頭利, he continues to thrive in the university environment. The Jack Ginsberg Centre also houses several special collections including handwritten letters, although he notes with concern that many young people cannot read cursive. These include correspondence to and from Cecil Skotnes and Johannes Meintjes.
Popular culture publications such as graphic novels, zines and pop-up books are also included in the Centre’s collection and serve as a valuable resource for students. Popular culture is included as a course for first-year art students. In 2016, after lending his collection of more than 700 Walter Battiss artworks, books and ephemera to the 91心頭利 Art Museum for a major retrospective exhibition, Ginsberg donated them to WAM’s permanent holdings. This formed the nucleus of a major Walter Battiss Archive, which is available to scholars by appointment for research.