The American Bookbinders Museum celebrates the beauty of a [once] commonplace object: the bookplate. Intended to identify a book’s owner, the first bookplates originated in Germany in the 15th century. Bookplates define ownership, but also reflect the owner’s personality, aesthetic sensibility, and sense of humor. A bookplate is a work of art.
Artists are drawn to the unique challenge of the bookplate: creating a memorable image in a small space. The form presents the artist with an opportunity to express the character of the owner, their style, and the artist’s unique aesthetic.
Ex Libris: The Art of Contemporary World Bookplates presents the extraordinary range of art in current bookplate design. The 2022 ASBC&D and FISAE Bookplate Competition solicited submissions from global artists of this graphic art form.
Don’t miss this artfully curated exhibition of bookplates from around the world!
Not able to visit in person? See it virtually here.
Ex Libris is offered in conjunction with the American Society of Bookplate Collectors and Designers (ASBCD), and the Fédération Internationale des Sociétés Amateurs d’Ex Libris (FISAE), and sponsored by the Keith Wingrove Memorial Trust, Melbourne, Australia.