SALON EX LIBRIS | 6. 11. 24 — 19. 1. 25

The Latin word Ex libris means from books, and is translated into Czech as a book mark. It originated in medieval Europe as a way of marking the then valuable book property of individuals, noble families or church institutions. Book marks, in the form of paper slips with the inscription Ex libris and the owner's name, supplemented with illustrations expressing his interests, profession or personality traits, were glued to the inside of books. Already in the Middle Ages, ex libris had an artistic level. Their creators were leading artists of the time such as Albrecht Dürer, Lucas Cranach or Bartel Beham. They were thus used not only to mark the owner of books, but also became an object of interest for collectors.

In Bohemia, artists have been involved in the creation of ex libris since the end of the 19th century. Prominent creators included Czech artists such as Josef Mánes, Alfons Mucha, Max Švabinský, Vojtěch Preissig, Mikoláš Aleš or Cyril Bouda. Other important artists who created ex libris include Oldřich Kulhánek, Tomáš Hřivnáč, Marina Richter, Vladimír Suchánek, Oldřich Jelen, Josef Werner, Jiří Slíva and others. You can now see not only their impressive works in our Ex libris salon.