Introduction by Achille Bonito Oliva
Illustrations by Harriet Russell
ISBN: 978-88-7570-247-2

True beauty lies in the design and process that leads matter to become a work of art. Before the final gesture that at last makes it a “work”, its beauty is contained in the invisible layers of thought and enthusiasm that lie beneath the surface of the finished object – from choice of materials to precision of execution. This invariable element applies as much to a work of art as to a unique and exclusive piece of clothing resulting from a deliberate fusion of craftsmanship and contemporariness. This book is dedicated to the project “A work of Persol”. This involved 17 internationally famous young artists, showing them as they created their 17 works of art especially for Persol. In the presence of the artists, the results were exhibited at ArtBasel 2010. The 18th and final artist is Persol, creator of works of art and manual skill through its eyewear. From conception to the finished work, the book records each moment of the creative process through interviews and photos imaginatively brought together by the drawings of Harriet Russell which illustrate the link between the Persol philosophy and artistic creation. The wealth of text and pictures becomes a kind of visual story of the entire project, highlighting the close association between both the “work” of art and the production process – invested with equal care into the making of each and every pair of Persol glasses. The “Work of Persol” project has an introduction by art historian Achille Bonito Oliva. It also includes an insert with a catalogue of the artists and the works of art.