Gallery director limits commercialization in respect for performer

A Montreal distributor of art books is criticizing the Mendel Art Gallery's handling of the Joni Mitchell exhibition catalogue.

So far, 4,000 copies of the $45 hardcover Voices: The Work of Joni Mitchell have been printed.

Gallery director Gilles Hebert asked ABC Art Books Canada, which has an exclusive contract with the gallery, to distribute the book only to museums and galleries. But ABC planned to make the book available to a wider range of customers, including major chain bookstores.

ABC president Lawrence Boyle issued a press release on the weekend accusing the Mendel of restricting release of the book due to pressure from a U.S.-based publisher that plans to produce its own book on Mitchell's art three or four years from now.

Hebert said Monday those allegations are "completely untrue."

"There are no restrictions being placed on the book by any American publisher or anybody else," he said.

About the only point the two agree on is that Hebert wants the book's distribution limited to galleries and museum gift shops.

"I merely asked Lawrence to restrict his distribution to museum and gallery bookstores and bookshops because I wanted the publication to live within the museum context.

"I'm not producing T-shirts either. I'm not producing magnets with her face on it. It's a catalogue, it's an exhibition catalogue. It's not a biography. It's not a fanzine.

"There is a limit to how commercial I want to get with this thing. I'm not in a commercial business here. This is a public institution," said Hebert."

The gallery is sending ABC 500 books as soon as possible and will send more if any are available, said Hebert.

Boyle said the 4,000 copies initially printed would have sold within six months and a second printing would likely be necessary. ABC gets a 25 per cent cut of each book sold.

Hebert agrees the book will be popular - 300 have already been sold "sight unseen." But the printing is a major undertaking for the gallery.

"We may or may not do a reprint, I don't know yet."

He added that he made the decision to limit the commercialization of the Mitchell exhibit "just out of respect for her." He accused Boyle of starting the controversy because he won't be getting as many copies of the book as he thinks he can sell and because the Mendel has given six months notice to cancel its contract with ABC.

Hebert and Boyle also disagree on other details about the release of the Mitchell catalogue.

Boyle says that Hebert told him "the gallery received an additional $40,000 grant to produce the show and the publication."

Said Hebert: "That's not true. No. There are no granting programs for specific exhibitions."

The Mitchell exhibit opens to public at 8 p.m. Friday.