Sponsor Interview with Rare Book Dealer, Arthur Fournier
Arthur Fournier with New York Arts Program interns at the Printed Matter Art Book Fair
The New York Arts Program community is vast and varied. Due to our customized internship placement process, we are always finding new internship sponsors to suit our unique students’ specific interests. Some sponsors, however, have been a part of our community for quite some time. We have been providing internships in the arts since 1969 after all!
This blog series will highlight internship sponsors from the New York Arts Program community, all having hosted our students in internships. Whether they’ve been with us since the 20th century or only a few years, our sponsors are a huge part of what makes the New York Arts Program so special.
First up in our Sponsor Interviews series is rare book dealer, Arthur Fournier. Arthur owns Fournier Fine & Rare, “an independent dealer of books, serials, manuscripts, and archives in all fields and genres. [They} specialize in primary source materials related to the transformative cultural movements of the late 20th century, modern conflicts, disruptive technologies, music and the visual arts,” as described on his website, https://www.arthurfournier.com/.
I asked Arthur a few questions about his passion for books.
Describe your job. What does a book dealer do?
A book dealer converts her or his love for printed words and the graphic arts into a useful and valuable service for others. That's at the heart of the matter -- this is a passion driven industry! On a day-to-day basis, I scour auctions, other bookshops, and word of mouth tips for unusual materials that spark my curiosity and imagination. I also spend time cataloging the best of my finds and recording that information in a database, along with photographs that show off their best qualities. The rest of it is all about outreach to people who genuinely want to know about my latest arrivals through social media, phone calls, emails and books fairs.
How did you discover this professional path? Was it something you always wanted to do, or did you fall into it somehow?
I totally fell into bookselling -- but it fits my nature, I think. As a teen and a young adult, I was into visiting antique shops, thrift stores, and estate sales. I realized along the way that people often overlook the value in their books and records (I collect vinyl LPs). If you were careful, you could find amazing bargains. I never thought it could be a career until I met an established bookseller through friends. We started working together little by little and eventually that turned into a job offer. I was hooked from the start. Now, I have my own business.
What do you love most about your job?
For me it's the daily sense of discovery -- and the incomparable joys of sharing extraordinary images and forgotten stories with friends and strangers.
Dare I ask, do you have a favorite book? What is it?
My favorite book is always the one I've never heard of that's going to blow my mind when I stumble across it at the bottom of a pile. That's the dream! Others include the works of James Baldwin, Frantz Fanon, and Tim Lawrence -- who writes wonderfully about the underground dance communities of New York City in the 1970s and 1980s. Currently I'm reading Jean-Paul Clébert's Paris Vagabond, and I love it!
Enjoy some photos from Arthur’s catalogue!
Interested in learning more about the art of book dealing? Arthur was featured in a recent documentary, The Book Sellers. The film explores the world of book dealing, interviewing a range of important dealers including Arthur himself. You can learn more about where to watch the film here: https://booksellersdocumentary.com/
Written by:
Helena Enders, New York Arts Program Alumna & Admissions Coordinator
