Interaction of Color

Following the Alberses departure from Black Mountain College around 1950, Josef created one of his most famous series, Homage to the Square, at Yale University. His prestige there primed him for the success of his landmark 1963 portfolio, Interaction of Color, printed by students of his from BMC, Norman Ives and Sewell Sillman. Originally released as a limited edition of 150 color plates for 80 folders, it was later published as a paperback book in 1971; over a quarter of a million copies of various editions have been sold since then.

Many of the folders within Interaction of Color have adhered flaps or detached sheafs with different printed colors, patterns, and even cutouts. The portfolio was intended as an instructional tool for the classroom where these additional parts were meant to be moved and handled in order to demonstrate color relativity, vanishing boundaries, and the illusion of transparency, among other concepts. The roman numeral titling system for the folders corresponded to a written lesson in a hardcover book also included in this slipcase.