Richard Kostelanetz is a writer, visual artist, critic, poet, composer, filmmaker, holographer, video artist, and lecturer. With a formidable catalogue of publications (over 80 titles), he is regarded as an authority on concrete poetry. Kostelanetz's avant-garde literary work challenges readers in unconventional ways. In his "visual poems," all verbal elements are at his disposal. Puns, alliteration, and dissonance are combined to create stimulating combinations visually and aurally, placing his printed (and framed) works in close proximity to constructivism and minimalism.

To host the vast practice of Kostelanetz in 2011, Kunstverein transformed into a bookstore dedicated solely to his work. The prints being auctioned were displayed in this exhibition and were acquired just this fall from Kostelanetz's studio in Ridgewood, New York, to be returned to Amsterdam.