Here are, in my humble opinion, the 50 essential artists’ moving image DVDs currently in publication. The list mainly favours collections and publications that include a substantial amount of contextual material around the films and on the whole it lists historical rather than contemporary work. I have included a few individual titles on the basis that they are important and influential works, such as Fischli and Weiss’ Der Lauf der Dinge which I think is probably the best selling artists’ DVD of all time. The list contains many fantastic publications produced with a huge amount of love and attention as well as some not so great ones that are here because they contain essential films. Finally just to name check a few publishers who specialise in releasing artists’ film and video DVDs, particularly two i have not included in this list as it is is difficult to separate out their publications (they have so many essential ones) Index (Austria) who have an amazing catalogue of Austrian experimental work, and Lowave (France) who have published a number of key releases including a series of compilations of artists work from the Middle East and Africa. Other dedicated publishers who have great catalogues are Re:voir (France), Other Cinema DVD (USA), Video Data Bank (USA) (for their educational DVD box set releases) and of course LUX!. I am sure there are many things i have missed so please add them in the comments (or on our facebook page) and then perhaps we can get this list to 100!
Coming soon: 50 essential books on artists’ film and video
Listing is in alphabetical order rather than order of preference.
1. Alexander Kluge – Films and Television Works 1960-2008. Edition Filmmuseum Collection
2. Andy Warhol Anthology. Published by Raro Video
3. Anthology of Polish Experimental Animation 3 DVD set. Published by the National Audiovisual Institute
4. Art as Moving Image, from Diagonal Symphony to Whiteout, history of Swedish avant-garde and experimental film. Book and DVD collection. Published by Filmform
5. Avant-Garde 1927-1937: Surrealism and Experiment in Belgian Cinema. Published by the Belgian Cinematek
6. Avant Garde – Experimental Cinema of the 1920s & 1930s. Published by Kino Video
7. Avant-Garde 2: Experimental Cinema 1928-1954. Published by Kino Video
8. Avant-Garde 3: Experimental Cinema 1922-1954. Published by Kino Video
9. Berlin, die Sinfonie der Großstadt & Melodie der Welt, Walter Ruttmann. Published by Edition Filmmuseum
10. Between Truth and Fiction, The Films of Vivienne Dick. Published by LUX
11. By Brakhage: An Anthology, Volumes One and Two: The Criterion Collection. Published by Criterion
12. Cine a contracorriente. A Journey through the other Latin American Cinema. Published by Cameo
13. Dada Cinema. Published by Re:Voir
14. David Lamelas, Films 1969-1972/2004. Published by Bureau des Videos
15. Del éxtasis al arrebato [A Journey through Spanish Experimental Cinema]. Published by Cameo
16. Derek Jarman – Super 8 Programme Vol. 1/ Vol. 2. Published by Raro Video
17. Dial History, Johan Grimonprez. Published by Other Cinema
18. Dreams That Money Can Buy, Hans Richter. Published by BFI
19. Entuziazm (Simfonija Donbassa) Dziga Vertov. Published by Editions Filmmuseum
20. ETC: Experimental Television Center 1969-2009. Published by ETC
21. Fluxfilm Anthology. Published by Re:Voir
22. GAZWRX: The Films of Jeff Keen 4 DVD Boxset. Published by BFI
23. Germaine Dulac, The Seashell and the Clergyman boxset. Published by Light Cone and Paris Expérimental
24. Guy Sherwin, Optical Sound FIlms 1971-2007. Published by LUX
25. He Who Hits First Santiago Alvarez,Travis Wilkerson plus 8 films by Santiago Alvarez. Published by Other Cinema
26. John Latham: Films 1960 – 1971. Published by LUX
27. John Smith 3 DVD box set. Published by LUX
28. Les Films de Man Ray. Published by Centre Pompidou
29. Magick Lantern Cycle, Kenneth Anger. Published by BFI
30. Maya Deren: Experimental Films. Published by Mystic Fire
31. Norman McLaren: The Masters Edition. Published by Image Entertainment
32. Patrick Keiller DVD box set. Published by ED Distribution
33. Radical Closure, Curated by Akram Zaatari. 5 DVD boxset. Published by Video Data Bank
34. REWIND + PLAY, An Anthology of Early British Video Art. 3 DVD box set Published by LUX
35. Shoot Shoot Shoot: The London Film-Makers Co-op & British Avant-Garde Film of the 1960s & 1970s. Published by LUX and Re:Voir
36. The Films of Stefan and Franciszka Themerson. Published by LUX
37. Stephen Dwoskin 14 Films. Published by Les Films Du Renard
38. Surveying the First Decade: Video Art and Alternative Media in the U.S. 1968-1980. 8 DVD box set published by Video Data Bank
39. The Experimental Image World of Shuji Terayama. 4 DVD box set published by Image Forum Japan
40. The Complete Film Works, Robert Frank. Published by Steidl Verlag
41. The Complete Works of Joyce Wieland 5 DVD box Set. Published by Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre
42. The Hidden Decade – Polish Video Art 1985-1995 4 DVD box set. Published by WRO Art Centre, Poland
43. The Lawrence Jordan Album. Published by Facets
44. The Way Things Go/Der Lauf der Dinge, Peter Fischli and David Weiss. Published by First Run Features
45. Treasures IV: American Avant-Garde Film, 1947-1986. Published by Image Entertainment
46. Un Chien Andalou / L’Age d’Or. Published by BFI
47. Unseen Cinema – Early American Avant Garde Film 1894-1941. Published by Image Entertainment
48. Vital Signals: Early Japanese Video Art. Published by EAI NY
49. Walden. Diaries, Notes and Sketches, Jonas Mekas. Published by Re:Voir
50. William Wegman: Video Work 1970-1999. Published by Artpix