Untitled (from Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror), 1984

In 1984, Arion Press published a limited deluxe edition of John Ashbery’s poem “Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror,“ which won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1976. Ashbery’s poem itself was inspired by the sixteenth-century Parmigianino painting and focuses on the play of selves and surfaces signified by the mirror. The 1984 edition included a series of round prints created by multiple contemporary artists, including Alex Katz. The artist book presented a unique interpretation of the poem, with each artist creating a circular image inspired by the poem’s themes. The round shape of the print is particularly significant, as it mimics the convex mirror mentioned in both the poem and Parmigianino’s painting, serving as a unifying element throughout the book.