Objet d’art

by Melissa L. Amstutz

Objet d’art is what I decided to call it—it being a curated-by-me genre in the used books section of Bishop & Wilde. Literally “object of art” or “art object” in French. When I said the phrase aloud to Tyler, he laughed at my pronunciation, declaring my Rs more German than French. I can get it right when I close my eyes and picture myself in a French New Wave film. My voice grows higher, more rhythmic. Objet d’art.

Probably the most well-known film of the French New Wave is Breathless, directed by Jean-Luc Godard and starring Jean Seberg. My then-girlfriend-now-wife and I convinced my mother to go to a costume party dressed as Seberg in the film. She was still trying to get used to the short, silver hair that grew in after chemotherapy. She looked stunning; her hair perfectly matched Seberg’s. 

Tucked away in the drawer beneath my bed is the t-shirt she had made for the party. I grabbed it after she died and still wear it as a pajama shirt. Plain white with black letters reading New York Herald Tribune. It doesn’t quite compare with the Breathless version, and now it’s faded and misshapen. It’s meaningful, not beautiful. That is, it’s the complete opposite of an objet d’art. 

Most books are like this t-shirt—their import or value stemming from memory—what they evoke or convey—not their aesthetics.

But then there are others. They don’t have to actually be art books, though they can be.

Maybe it’s an old technology textbook with a sharp and clean design. The colors and type chosen on the boards beneath a recycling-bin-worthy dust jacket. Sketches and full-color paintings hidden in unassuming mass markets. Sometimes the pleasure is more apparent and straightforward with a gorgeous, intricate, or interesting cover.

I delight in these books as objects as much as I delight in reading. Is it their quiet power? Their ability to capture my attention from across a room? The satisfaction and thrill they bring when displayed?

Whatever it is, I will continue to curate these objets d’art. I hope you’ll delight in them, too.