"In 1871, the greatest, most revolutionary poets of their time—Arthur Rimbaud, Paul Verlaine, Charles Cros, Germain Nouveau, André Gill—gathered at the Hôtel des Étrangers in Paris to realize a joint, subversive, and forward-looking project: the Album Zutique. Later, in the 20th century, artists and poets, initially close to Dadaism and Surrealism, dedicated themselves to cooperative ways of working. Their Cadavres exquis—works characterized by chance and playfulness, and based on the principle of “blind” team work—are still outstanding examples of artistic collaborations today. These were characterized in the 20th and 21st centuries by friendships as well as by political convictions.

This publication explores the genesis of these collaborative artworks. The methods of production and the synergetic and often cross-genre nature of these collaborations are for the first time the focus of a detailed art-historical examination. Featuring Pablo Picasso and Francis Picabia, Alexander Calder and Joan Miró, Joseph Beuys and Nam June Paik, Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, Yayoi Kusama and Carolee Schneemann, Jenny Holzer and Landy Pink, and many more, the catalogue brings together some one hundred works. Also included are collective works by performers, musicians, and filmmakers."