Folio Society Celebrates Decades of Book Art and Illustration

The first-ever major celebration of the illustrators behind the art of the Folio Society’s books will celebrate the art of book illustration and design with a landmark exhibition in New York. 

The Art of Folio, which will showcase the talents of 91 illustrators Folio has worked with over the last 78 years, will be hosted at the Society of Illustrators Museum of Illustration on the Upper East Side, New York, from April 16 through July 12, 2025.

The exhibit will be held across two floors. The ground floor will showcase the contemporary artists working with Folio today, including the dreamscapes of Sam Weber (Dune), the cutting-edge designs of Anna and Elena Balbusso (The Handmaid’s Tale), as well as Jamaal Barber (The Underground Railroad), and Mu Pan (Monkey). Among more than 100 artworks arranged thematically by genre, visitors can enjoy the fantasy realms of A Wizard of Earthsea and Game of Thrones as well as contemporary historical fiction such as The Color Purple and Wolf Hall.

Also, on the ground floor, in honor of 100 years since the first publication of The Great Gatsby a special area will be dedicated to Folio’s new edition with a designated space for original artwork and a more detailed look at the construction of a Folio Society book. This edition features illustrations by award-winning New York-based artist Yuko Shimizu.

The lower floor will celebrate Folio’s history of various book editions, featuring a screening of illustrator interviews and displaying original and printed artworks from 1957 to 2024. The annual Folio Book Illustration Award will be on full display, with past entries from 2022 to 2024 highlighting emerging and contemporary talent.