36 — 50 Years of Idea Books (1976-2026)

Idea Books turned 50 on April 1, 2026. To celebrate this anniversary, we had planned an exhibition at Enter Enter, showcasing materials from the historic archive of Idea Books. However, following a fire that broke out on Friday, March 20, 2026, their warehouse – and everything it contained – was lost, including the Idea Books archive. But Idea Books is more than a warehouse. It is a network of people: a family that supports one another, with each of them carrying fragments of its history. For this reason, we have decided to move forward with the exhibition, which now takes a different form. It presents a selection of historic books from the archive of John Simons (founder of Idea Books), publications from the personal collections of Idea Books team members, and a newly published book celebrating 50 years together – fortunately not yet delivered to the warehouse at the time of the fire. The exhibition also includes our new spring catalogue and a selection of photographs by Johannes Schwarz, portraying Idea Books team members holding their favourite book. The space is also currently being used as a small storage area, where some parcels for Idea Books are collected.

About Idea Books
Founded in 1976, Idea Books is a B2B distributor of books and magazines specialised in architecture, art, photography, design, and visual culture in general. Idea Books brings books from publishers and authors all over the world to (book)shops and museums all over the world.

Poster and book designed by Dongyoung Lee; photography by Johannes Schwarz. Idea Books catalogue designed by Ayumi Higuchi.