The Guggenheim exhibition catalogue Cai Guo-Qiang: I Want to Believe has won the 2008 George Wittenborn Memorial Book Award

Cai Guo-Qiang, Inopportune: Stage One, 2004. Nine cars and sequenced multichannel light tubes. Dimensions variable. Seattle Art Museum, Gift of Robert M. Arnold, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum, 2006. Exhibition copy installed at Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 2008 © Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation New York. Photo by David Heald.

NEW YORK, NY.- The Guggenheim exhibition catalogue Cai Guo-Qiang: I Want to Believe has won the 2008 George Wittenborn Memorial Book Award, which recognizes outstanding publications in visual arts and architecture.

Established by the Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA) in 1980, the annual award honors the memory of George Wittenborn (1905–1974), a New York art book dealer and publisher who was a strong supporter of ARLIS/NA. Eligible titles are evaluated in the categories of content, documentation, layout, format, and overall aesthetic quality.

Published on the occasion of a comprehensive exhibition of work by the Chinese-born artist Cai Guo-Qiang, organized by Thomas Krens and Alexandra Munroe, Senior Curator of Asian Art at the Guggenheim Museum, the book includes essays by Wang Hui, David Joselit, Miwon Kwon, and Sandhini Poddar. Designed by Miko McGinty and Rita Jules, the catalogue features over 230 illustrations and offers a comprehensive history and interpretation of Cai’s art, as well as an extensive chronology, exhibition history, and bibliography.

The award was presented during the annual ARLIS/NA national conference in Indianapolis on Friday, April 17. On naming the Guggenheim publication, the award committee said, "Cai Guo-Qiang: I Want to Believe excels in all of the required categories of content, documentation, layout, and format. . . . It provides an outstanding example of the scholarship and design that the award was created to recognize."

Cai Guo-Qiang, Inopportune: Stage Two, 2004. Nine life-sized tiger replicas, arrows, and mountain stage prop. Tigers: papier mâché, plaster, fiberglass, resin, and painted sheep hide. Arrows: brass, threaded bamboo shaft, and feathers. Stage prop: styrofoam, wood, canvas, and acrylic paint . Dimensions variable Collection of the artist. Installed at Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 2008 © Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation New York. Photo by David Heald.