The world’s largest pop-up book.
03.08.2026To mark the centenary of the Los Angeles Public Library, a new world record has been set in the impressive rotunda of the Richard J. Riordan Library: the largest pop-up book of all time. The project impressively demonstrates how art, craftsmanship and architecture can come together – and provides an opportunity to take a look at other quirky records from the world of art and architecture.
A tribute to reading – on a monumental scale
Commissioned by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles and in collaboration with the Los Angeles Public Library, Los Angeles-based artist Daniel González created the work “Luceros y Penumbras” – a grand tribute to knowledge, discovery and imagination. The artwork is fittingly situated in the library’s magnificent rotunda, surrounded by Dean Cornwell’s murals, completed in 1933, which depict the history of California. With the support of paper engineer Matthew Reinhart, a paper structure was created that is truly unrivalled. This film shows why it takes at least six people to turn a single page of this work.
Bigger than ever before
The dimensions speak for themselves: when opened out, the book measures around 31 by 20 feet – equivalent to approximately 9.4 by 6.1 metres – thereby surpassing the previous Guinness World Record, which stood at around 29 by 18 feet. The structure stands over 11 feet tall – equivalent to more than 3.3 metres – and weighs almost a tonne – made from the same materials as ordinary books: fabric, paper and glue.
One double-page spread shows a large tree against the Los Angeles skyline, surrounded by motifs representing the city’s cultural and ecological diversity; a second depicts the façade of the Central Library. The work will be on display until November 2026, alongside other treasures from the library’s collection of movable-part picture books.
When art and architecture set records
“Luceros y Penumbras” is part of a long tradition of extraordinary superlatives where art and architecture converge. For example, “The Journey of Humanity” by the British artist Sacha Jafri, with an area of around 1,596 square metres, is considered the world’s largest painting; the work, divided into 70 individual sections, was auctioned in Dubai in 2021 for 62 million US dollars – the proceeds went to charity. Architecture itself also sets astonishing records: the “British Airways i360” in Brighton, England, holds the title of the world’s slimmest tower with a height-to-diameter ratio of 41 to 1, whilst the “Vulcan” pavilion project by the Beijing-based studio Laboratory for Creative Design entered the record books as the largest 3D-printed structure. And in Tel Aviv, volunteers built the world’s tallest Lego structure from more than 500,000 Lego bricks in memory of a boy who died young – an example of how a sense of community and architecture can come together.
What these records have in common
Whether paper, paint, plastic or 3D-printed material: the most extraordinary records in the world of art and architecture emerge where craftsmanship, imagination and the courage to be grandiose come together. For an audience passionate about architecture and design, such projects serve as a reminder that buildings – whether monumental or whimsical – always tell stories and can imbue spaces with meaning. A quality which, on a smaller scale, can also be found in the design of one’s own home.