BOOKPLATES-THE ART OF THIS CENTURY-Review

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BOOKPLATES
THE ART OF THIS CENTURY
An Introduction to Contemporary
Marks of Ownership
James P. Keenan
Foreword by Cliff Parfit
CAM BRIDGE BOOKPLATE
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Copyright © 2013 by Cambridge Bookplate
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without written
permission from the publisher.
ISBN: 978-0-9627290-3-4
First Edition (e-book, .epub, version 1.2) 2013
James P. Keenan
Cambridge Bookplate
5802 Bullock Loop
Suite C1 #84404
Laredo, Texas 78041-8807
www.bookplate.org
Cover bookplate: “Eyes” by Nurgül Arikan

Cover design: Nurgül Arikan
E-book design by: Patricia Garcia Arreola
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Table of Contents
FOREWORD
INTRODUCTION
THE AMERICAS
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Priscilla Alpaugh Cotter, Tamara Balenko, Derek Black, Bruce
Chandler, Matthew James Collins, Stuart A. Copans, Rosemary
Feit Covey, Keith Cranmer, Ray Frenden, David Lance
Goines, Christopher W. Kent, John G. Kristensen, Serik
Kulmeshkenov, Michael McCurdy, Daniel P. Mitsui, Barry
Moser, Anthony Russo, Marina Terauds, Richard Wagener
CANADA
Jocelyne Benoit, Martin Dufour, Tanya Miller, Sergey Tyukanov
MEXICO
Emilio Carrasco Gutiérrez, Concepción Elvira
Provenzal, Francisco Daniel Quintanar, Joel Rendón, Artemio
Rodriguez, Sergio Sanchez Santamaria, Carolina Viñamata
ARGENTINA
Eva Farji, Muriel Frega, Esteban Grimi, Marcela
Miranda, Fernando Polito, Mauricio Schvarzman, Luis
Seibert, Julieta Warman
BRAZIL
José Luis Alemán Alvarez, Marcos Varela
COLOMBIA
Mauricio Cruz Arango, Beatriz Gomez de Moreno Triz Go
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AUSTRALIA
David Frazer
BELARUS
Alexandr Grigoriev, Juri Jakovenko, Vladislav
Kvartalny, Roman Sustov, Anna Tikhonova, Eugenia
Timoshenko
BELGIUM
Martin Baeyens, Joke van den Brandt, Willy
Braspennincx, Frank-Ivo van Damme, Hedwig Pauwels
BULGARIA
Robert Baramov, Peter Chinovsky, Veselin Damyanov-
ves, Julian Jordanov, Onnik Karanfilian, Hristo Kerin, Rumen
Nistorov, Eduard Penkov, Peter Velikov
CHINA
Xiaozhuang Dong, Malou Oi Yee Hung, Mingming
Niu, Yanxiang Shen
CROATIA
Plamenko Cengic
CZECH REPUBLIC
Jirí Brázda, Jan Cernos, Josef Dudek, Pavel Hlavatý, Günter
Hujber, Vladimír Suchánek
DENMARK
Per Christensen
ESTONIA
Lembit Lõhmus
FINLAND
Erkki Tuominen, Heimo Virnala
FRANCE
Patricia Nik-Dad, Frédéric Voisin
GERMANY
Erhard Beitz, Regina Franke, Harry Jürgens, Marlene
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Neumann, Klaus Sperling, JosefCOPY
Werner
HUNGARY
Mónika Dudics, Havasi Tamás
INDIA
Rakesh Bani
IRELAND
Ries Hoek
ITALY
Ettore Antonini, Vincenzo Piazza, Maria Maddalena Tuccelli
JAPAN
Katsunori Hamanishi, Katsue Inoue, Hideko Matsubara, Takao
Sano, Shigeki Tomura, Kieko Tsurusawa
LATVIA
Natalija Cernecova
NETHERLANDS
Henk Blokhuis, Elly de Koster, Peter Lazarov
POLAND
Kazimierz Babkiewicz, Wojcieck Jakubowsky
RUSSIA
Yuri Borovitsky, Yurij Nozdrin, Vladimir Vereschagin, Oleg
Yahknin, Vladimir Zuev
SLOVAKIA
Peter Kocák
TURKEY
Nurgül Arikan, Tezcan Bahar, Elif Songür Dag, Hasip Pektas
UKRAINE
Ruslan Agirba, Konstantin Antioukhin, David Bekker, Oleg
Denisenko, Vasyl Fenchak, Sergey Hrapov, Konstantin
Kalinovich, Arkady Pugachevsky, Gennady Pugachevsky
UNITED KINGDOM
Leslie Charlotte Benenson, Gordon Collett, Roy Cooney, Andy
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English, Peter Ford, COPY
Hilary Paynter
TECHNICAL SYMBOLS
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
FOREWORD
By Cliff Parfit
On a memorable occasion I was invited to the home of a Captain of
Industry – a Millionaire! The private movie theatre was a great
novelty at the time, but infinitely more to my taste was the private art
gallery. Wisely he had concentrated on a single period and a few
dozen choice pictures only, but top quality material which would
never be out of fashion enough to lose value. The lighting was
unobtrusively excellent and the glass of vintage port delicious; but in
the homeward taxicab ride I contemplated the downside of this
handsome gallery – the not too obvious, but seriously expensive
security measures required, insurance and other costs; yet all for just
a small collection of pictures with not so many changes from one year
to the next.
I was truly, very truly, grateful to my kind host and his remarkably
erudite wife, but could I have learned more at The National Gallery?
The rooms at the Gallery may be crowded, the seating inconvenient,
and the wine available in only the museum restaurant, but variety,
quality, importance and educational value – all unparalleled, though
sadly just leave memories and a handful of gallery postcards for
those cold winter evenings at home. This is the time for a ‘pocket art
gallery’ packed away into a single bookcase containing hundreds of
fine original works of art – bookplates of course, which offer for
private delight, the works by artists of a century, can be added to
without breaking the bank, and which, if chosen wisely, can hold or
appreciate in value.
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Bookplate collecting may be enjoyed on many different levels. On an
average or beginner level, a collection might be made by buying or
commissioning a few good plates and gradually widening its scope
by exchange through other collectors. Those more fastidious or
ambitious, might concentrate only on what they judge to be enduring
works of graphic art, and trade off any inferior specimens. As
bookplates are a private gratification, some choose to collect erotic
plates – there are thousands to choose from. Others enjoy the hunt for
plates on the sea and ships, on architecture, on kings and queens, on
motor vehicles (a small speciality that!) on flowers, on heraldry, or
on the work of a single artist. Special collections are usually easy
enough to start, but are more challenging as additions get harder to
find.
One collector in Japan has made a superb collection of plates on the

picaresque adventures of Don Quixote, and another has built an
extraordinary collection of ‘Frog’ ex libris. Brian North Lee enjoyed
a life’s work with bookplates of the British Royal Family.
Beautifully annotated in expensive albums; it was superb, even
though, the artistic merit of some royal plates is not great. Another
very knowledgeable friend is making a collection based on my book.
‘The Barrett Saga’ and attempting to include every plate processed
by Mr. W. P. Barrett – a fascinating collection that encapsulates an
age long gone, but alive forever in the stories of Sherlock Holmes
and Lady Bracknell.
An English ‘Cavalier’ love poem says, ‘Beauty’s self she is, when
all her robes are gone!’ This is an opinion with which artists from all
ages seem to be in full agreement, and there are only a few artists of
this or former times who have not attempted a few ‘nude’ plates. The
style has changed over the years from the very substantial Mucha
lovelies to the pencil-flat thin ‘flappers’ of the 1920s. Not
surprisingly, there is a steady market for all these works, with a
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overt erotic content. The dividing line
between ‘Eros’ and ‘Venus’ is blurred, but as ever, bookplates
featuring lovely women with ‘all their robes gone’ are never going to
stop being popular. In my time, I have seen several such collections,
but would perhaps be wise to reserve details.
The immediate future sees a time when reading and writing become
ever less used; young people would as soon leave home without
shoes as without a mobile phone. Soon cell phones, iPads and
computers will do everything except making breakfast, so there is
fear that a whole class of illiterates may emerge who can
communicate only in ‘mobile speak’. In response to this grim but not
impossible fate for homo-sapiens, teachers in China are encouraging
reading by instructing their students about bookplates. Devoted art
teachers use a range of cheap printing materials to make students’
personal bookplates – the aim being mainly to encourage the love of
books. A child’s first dozen books is a mini-library with ex libris
labels as ornaments – they can also be traded with children in other
towns and countries. Those who treasure their books and maybe
become new collectors of bookplates, and may as adults offer
commissions to promising students in art colleges. Encouragement of
student graphics could thus be the foundation of a life interest –
inexpensive, engrossing, and intellectually demanding.
The International Federation of Bookplate Associations (FISAE)

meets biennially at selected world venues, and local enthusiasts
prepare a welcome for bookplate aficionados with exhibitions of
bookplates, competitions, lectures, bookplate exchanges, and
comfortable chats with seldom-seen friends. Like the Olympic Games
this is a showcase for the most modern and finest quality graphic art,
attracting wide attention, encouraging new members and providing a
market for books and art work (www.fisae.org publishes a selection
of interesting bookplate material). Friendships are formed which
blossom into international exchanges, private visits and gifts. I recall
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FISAE gathering where I was the recipient of
not only some pretty ‘frog’ bookplates, but also a tiny bronze frog that
still sits on my windowsill with a porcelain ‘Kappa’ (the frog-man of
Japanese folklore).
From an investment viewpoint, ex libris can be profitable – but best

as part of a portfolio, because bookplates like other artworks, have
their ups and downs in fashion. Time was when a handful of poorly
printed Victorian plates could be bought very cheaply, but then some
alert collectors noticed that a few of these ‘ugly ducklings’ had been
commissioned by important people: politicians, actors, founders of
well known companies, inventors, bankers, sports people, generals,
explorers and so on. There were the plates of renowned schools and
colleges, cathedrals, embassies, clubs, institutions, guilds – many of
interest and value. Still rarer, are the ex libris plates of the
disreputable: the great forgers and swindlers, dictators, even those of
notorious murderers and robbers if they can be found. I once saw for
sale the bookplate of Thomas James Wise the nefarious forger and
book thief. It presented a design of scrolls and angels and the verse:
Books bring me friends.

Wher’ere on earth I be
Solace of solitude
Bonds of Society.
Though I telephoned at once, I was too late to secure it. Would he

ever have expected such competition for his non-forgeries? Such
items must only increase in value as they get older and harder to find.
The present time is one of down-sizing and here in England, piles of
books (mostly unimportant) are given to charity shops or sold for
pulping. Collectors who have the patience, may very occasionally
find in them a bookplate of interest and value – it’s the bibliophile
equivalent of searching fields by metal detector for buried treasures.
I cannot claim so much patience, but once in an Islington bookshop
found plates by Arthur REVIEW
Rackham and COPY
Jessie M. King pasted into some
tired old books for girls.
‘Penny Black’ and ‘Two Penny Blue’ stamps in fine condition now
fetch high prices at local stamp shops, but these prices are sharply
escalated when auctioned in China. Where the Stock Exchange and
Bonds are not trusted, the value of savings can be preserved by the
purchase of such easily portable rarities, and as bookplates become
well known in China and other countries throughout the world, they
will be seen far more often at auction houses or on Internet auctions.
In the Americas, James P. Keenan is promoting bookplates through

loan exhibitions, books and magazines, lecturing, advertising, and
putting together a Collection which will serve to remind American
people of their Graphic Arts Heritage, and here through the medium
of an e-book. To the uninitiated, this might seem like teaching
swimming by post, but is rather a brilliant modern method by which a
hobby, encompassing a great range of interests, can be presented. My
purchase of an e-reader to catch up with books on the move, in no
way reduces my need for real books. The superb quality of email
pictures merely encourages ownership of these ‘paper jewels’. To
obtain such treasures of beauty, historical or social interest, to enjoy
a personal art gallery or a historical collection of one’s own
choosing – these are some of great pleasures of Quality Living:
Librarians will value ex libris in tracing the provenance of books,
Art Lovers in bringing Art into busy or burdened lives, and if they
have some money, can enjoy one of the pleasures of the very rich by
commissioning unique works of art – just as did the Renaissance
dukes. Scholars and Art Historians might enjoy ex libris for
illuminating aspects of History, but Educated People worldwide will
find in the hobby the warmth of companionship in the world’s most
elegant and intriguing hobby.
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“Odysseus” by Julian Jordanov.
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Bookplate by Veselin Damyanov-ves.
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Bookplate by OnnikCOPY
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Bookplate by Peter Chinovsky.

Bookplate by Josef Werner.
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Bookplate by Tanya Miller.
Buttner’s plate for Einstein is now very rare indeed. It was included in his only album dated
1921.
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Some of these landscape style bookplates were engraved by important graphic artists of the
time, such as Thomas Bewick, so are worth looking out for.
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Of course, Shakespeare had no Exlibris – he didn’t even bring out a complete edition of his
own plays, but the Shakespeare Trust made attractive plates for him – to be used in the
Shakespeare Library at Strafford-upon-Avon.
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A portrait plate of Scottish poet Robert Burns. It is by Will Simmons and dates back to 1938.
I have never seen another example.
This plate is by the famous sculptor Eric Gill, whose beautiful type faces are still in use and
whose sculptures can be seen in Westminster Cathedral.
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The ex libris for Helen Briggs is by Voysey, the Art Deco architect, whose handsome houses
and other structures are still very much admired and treasured in England.
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A 1914 bookplate by J. F. Badeley shows methods of transport available at that time: a
hydrogen balloon, a primitive biplane (still very much like the Wright Brothers’ Flyer), a
grandfather of all cars and a reindeer sledge – what changes has a century brought!
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‘The Absinthe Drinker’ by Belgium artist Tielemans (Art Deco).

A fine vanitas plate by Rudzinski. Like Shakespeare, many artists have been fascinated by
the evanescent character of beauty,
‘But Ah that Spring should Vanish with the Rose,
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That Youth’s Sweet Manuscript should Close!’
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‘Wilkes and Liberty!’ This was the cry of the mob which went round London smashing
windows and making trouble in support of John Wilkes (1725-1797), who fought hard for the
reformation of the corrupt Parliament of his time. Wilkes was eventually elected Lord Mayor
of London.
This bookplate of St. Paul’s Cathedral (designed by Sir. Christopher Wren) was rescued from
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an ancient, broken service book.
This bookplate by F. C. Blank shows St. George and the Dragon – Churchill presumably the
St. George who is slaying the Dragon of Hitler’s Nazism.
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Motoring in 1923 was more of a sport than a simple mode of transport, but for some reason,
early motoring bookplates are now very scarce. This plate is by U. Wernaers.
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Engraved plate by Miss Donge Kobayashi, Japan. The plate shows an off duty geisha. Where
is the name? It’s on the tattoo.
BOOKPLATES: THE ART OF THIS
CENTURY
An Introduction to Contemporary Marks of Ownership
The casualty of the contemporary book can be seen in obituary
notices throughout the world. After more than 550 years we are now
hearing announcements that along with the printed book, we will see
the end of libraries, traditional publishers, authorship, and the
graphic art of the bookplate! Are they tragic victims of the 21 st
century e-book revolution? Booklovers are legitimately concerned as
they try to grasp for an understanding of the future of the book.
It is known that for as long as books have been in print, there have
been bookplates. This establishes an old tradition that dates back to
the Renaissance and birth of printing from moveable type. The
bookplate is the small graphic art print that was developed to adorn
precious editions. It is a label that provides a convenient,
individualized way for the book’s owner to be identified and to show
pride in the ownership of a library. The bookplate, or ex libris, is a
label commonly pasted onto the inside front cover of a book. Ex
libris is Latin that translates as “from the books of” or “from the
library of.”
It is fortunate that there are still people who understand the romance
found in collecting books and using a personal ex libris. There have
been nearly six centuries of printed books accompanied by
bookplates used for library identification. With the birth of e-books,
will there really be anREVIEW
end to printedCOPY
books and bookplates? It does
not seem likely as there are so many fine graphic artists who are
exploring new frontiers and introducing new concepts for ex libris
design through computer technology.
Peeking under the covers of this edition you will find exquisite
examples of prints by artists of this century. Through this
introduction to contemporary marks of ownership, you will
understand that there is a bright future for bookplate art and for
collectors of small graphics. Thanks to bookplate enthusiasts and
international organizations around the world. There is no doubt that
art books will survive and books about the art of the bookplate will
always be in demand by collectors. Share in this vision with many
important international artists, collectors, bibliophiles, connoisseurs,
and discover their views.
Our society is the American Society of Bookplate Collectors &

Designers (ASBC&D). The Society is a USA 501(c)(3) non-profit,
charitable organization that was organized in 1922 to further the art
and study of bookplates. The ASBC&D is an international
association with subscribers from more than 50 nations and growing
membership throughout the Americas. Now in our 9 th decade, we
continue this tradition of advancing the interest in bookplate art. We
accomplish this through our publications, exhibitions, conferences,
and electronic media.
BOOKPLATES: THE ART OF THIS CENTURY is a unique

introduction to ex libris art because this new edition is first being
published as an e-book and is among the first to introduce 21st
century marks of book ownership. An introduction to contemporary
ex libris prints and the artists who make them is long overdue. The
usual traditional publishers seem to be reluctant to introduce these
works. Some have said that an edition of contemporary bookplates is
not marketable!
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There were obvious reservations and concerns about publishing an
illustrated e-book about bookplates because this collecting interest is
so focused on the fine quality of printing ink on paper. Although there
is not a better, more efficient way of spreading the word to a growing
global audience both quickly and economically.
This electronic edition was sparked by the astounding successes of
our society’s new e-publications, our e-Chronicle quarterly, and our
social networking efforts have actually prompted this edition. The
clear advantage to publishing an e-book is that we can introduce
bookplate art to the widest possible international audience via the
Internet. Later on, this book will be reproduced in a more
comprehensive printed edition with expanded text and images as a
limited edition for collectors. Needless to say, it would be
impossible to reach all international booklovers with a hand printed
and bound limited edition. Although we can now promise that
everyone’s interests in ex libris will be accommodated through
electronic, trade, and limited editions of this volume.
Ongoing “virtual” exhibitions of contemporary works will always be

presented in our “Art of this Century Gallery” and can be seen
through our website at: www.bookplate.org. This site will regularly
display superb examples of the graphic art form spanning the
centuries.
Over the past 30 years our society has organized over thirty
exhibitions of bookplates. One of our contemporary international
presentations became a large traveling exhibition that visited more
than 25 libraries across the United States of America from 2000 to
2008. With the support of our enthusiastic membership these
exhibitions have enabled us to introduce thousands of newcomers to
bookplate art and to the activities of the ASBC&D. Today, the
Society will expand this “reach” through online exhibitions and our
new e-publications.
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Artists and collectors can register on our website to enjoy many new,
exciting benefits. First of all, artists can log in and post their latest
bookplate designs, provide their comments, personal statements,
along with updates to their CVs and opus lists. Collectors can post
their bookplates for exchange or their interests in artist identification.
Furthermore, we encourage you to join the Society. We provide an
indispensable resource for the latest information about world ex
libris. It is both informative and economical to subscribe to our
electronic or printed publications. Fine illustrated essays, featured
artists, notices of lectures and exhibitions throughout the Americas.
For serious collectors we have the printed publications that often
include tipped-in original prints. This is all available through the
Membership page at: www.bookplate.org.
In this digital age of electronic images, gadgets, books, and the

virtual life, we are now pleased to introduce one of the first e-books
on contemporary bookplates. Perhaps some of our readers can bring
forward into this frontier their ideas for e-bookplates.
An Abbreviated History of the Bookplate

Many noteworthy book lovers have given serious attention to
bookplate design. Some include: Queen Victoria, King Adolf Fredrik
of Sweden, George Washington, Charles Dickens, J. P. Morgan,
Henry Ford, Jack London, Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein, Franklin
D. Roosevelt, Charles De Gaulle, Queen Elizabeth, John F. Kennedy,
Harpo Marx, James Cagney, Walt Disney, and others too numerous to
mention.
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The Queen's Book by Will Carter (1912-2001), UK
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Franklin D. Roosevelt bookplate by Michel Fingesten (1884-1943), Italy
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Alfred Stieglitz bookplate by Allen Lewis (1873-1957), USA
Important artists have always been called on to design bookplates.

To name a few: Albrecht Durer, Hans Holbein, Thomas Bewick,
Paul Revere, Nathaniel Hurd, Kate Greenaway, Marc Chagall,
Salvador Dali, Emil Orlik, Maxfield Parrish, Aubrey Beardsley,
Rockwell Kent, Lynd Ward, Diego Rivera, Leonard Baskin, Barry
Moser.
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Louis Stern bookplate by Marc Chagall (1887-1985), France
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Netherlands Ex Libris poster by M.C. Escher (1898-1972), Netherlands
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Tom Watkins bookplate by Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966), USA
A bookplate not only provides evidence of ownership but also clues

as to the owner’s personality and aesthetic sensibilities. As well it
appeals to the conscience of borrowers and sometimes this is
expressed in verse:
As I never return books,

I make a rule never to borrow them.
Steal not this book my REVIEW

honest friendCOPY
For fear the gallows be thy END!
It would be a good thing to buy books

If we could also buy the time to read them.
A jolly goode booke,
Whereon to looke
Is better to me than golde.
If this book should dare to roam,

Box its ears and send it home.
If you borrow, freely use it,

Take great care and don’t abuse it:
Read, but neither lose nor lend it,
Then unto the owner send it.
Steal not this book for fear of shame,

For here you see the owner’s name.
To accompany such written warnings, mottoes, and quotes one can

find amazingly diverse subject matter combined with the styles and
techniques employed in creating a bookplate. The design may be
utilitarian, simply bearing the owner’s name, or an exceptional
miniature work of art.
Techniques employed include the woodcut, wood engraving,

engraving on metal, silkscreen, etching, calligraphy, or pen & ink.
Bookplates are typically printed on fine archival quality papers and
most are printed by hand. Please take a look at our Technical
Symbols List that appears at the end of this edition.
An exquisite bookplate can add both aesthetic and monetary value to

a book. It is small wonder that Mark Severin, a twentieth-century
Belgian engraver, onceREVIEW
said “a bookCOPY
without a plate is like a child
waiting to be adopted.” Over the course of five and a half centuries,
collectors have so cherished bookplates that ex libris prints have
become an art form valued in and of themselves.
Seashells bookplate by Mark Severin (1906-1987), Netherlands
From about 1880 through 1940 the art of the bookplate became a
distinctive part of the Art Nouveau and through the Art Deco periods.
Aside from art, architecture, and crafts, in the graphic arts one can
see in the book arts and ex libris design the influences of the styles of
the times. Ex libris art became more of a reflection of the aesthetic,
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intellectual and spiritual COPY
characteristics of the owners. Political and
economic crises are also shown in the creation of bookplates. The
prints often represent social changes, fashion, and technical
evolution.
Collecting ex libris prints came into vogue during the 1880s. Books
about bookplates were first published during this period and by the
1890s societies appeared throughout the world. The period that
followed from 1890-1940 has become known as the heyday for
bookplate collecting or the Golden Era of Bookplates! Since that time
whole volumes have been written to explain the motivations of the
bookplate collector as well as the artists who create them.
It was in 1880 that J. Leicester Warren first designated a

classification for bookplates in his book, A Guide to the Study of
Bookplates. In 1894, Charles Dexter Allen described the four basic
styles of armorials in his book, American Bookplates. These
armorial styles are commonly known as Early English, Jacobean,
Chippendale, and Ribbon & Wreath. To read these and other out-of-
print books in an electronic format, links are available on the
“Library” page of our website at: www.bookplate.org.
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Forstenzer bookplate by Ephraim Moses Lilien (1874-1925), Germany
In the years after the turn of the twentieth century, artists produced
bookplates as original print editions, reproduced as copperplate and
steel plate engravings, wood engravings, etchings, mezzotints, and
more. Often these signed and numbered “prints” were created by
important artists of the period. In Europe and America, collectors
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artists. Most collectors use a percentage of
an ex libris edition in their books and the balance is used to augment
their resources for exchange.
The Development of the Bookplate in Europe
Johannes Knabensberg's plate called the Igler (from the German word for hedgehog) mid-
15th century Germany
Although marks of ownership have been identified in early tenth-

century libraries in Egypt and Asia, the first known printed bookplate
dates to mid-fifteenth-century Germany. Bookplate experts believe
this first bookplate print belonged to Johannes Knabensberg. Also
known as the Igler plate, it is derived from the German word for
hedgehog. Rendered in woodcut, it depicts a hedgehog and includes
an inscription within a banner that translates, “Hans Igler that the
hedgehog may kiss you.”
Only a few hand-colored copies of the Igler bookplate are known to

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exist. Historical context COPYtheir scarcity. The Igler
helps to explain
bookplate would have been placed in handwritten manuscript books.
These manuscript editions were quite expensive and unique enough to
warrant identification of ownership as reasonable protection against
theft or damage. Hence, Knabensberg felt compelled to print the stern
warning label on this first known bookplate.
Brandenburg Arms bookplate (1480), Germany
At the same time Knabensberg commissioned this bookplate,

Johannes Gutenberg invented his printing process employing
moveable type. Throughout Europe, books became cheaper to
manufacture and more readily available, making it possible for
collectors to amass large libraries that justified the use of bookplates.
By 1480, German bookplates were primarily simple woodcuts with
armorial designs, many of which were created by some of the
foremost artists of the time such as Albrecht Dürer, Lucas Cranach
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the Elder, and Hans Holbein. COPY were printed in black
The woodcuts
ink, some were hand-colored.
Pirckheimer bookplate, 1504, by Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528), Germany
Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) executed at least twenty bookplates,

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Experts believe that Dürer produced the first
dated bookplate in 1516. Dürer, no doubt, established the standards
that eventually evolved into the highly decorative, grand armorial
style of the period. Utilizing the black-line woodcut method, these
became more refined as a method of reproduction that incorporated
delicate lines and shading. Family coats-of-arms were the most
common subject matter for bookplates, a preference that remains
popular with some book collectors to this day.
Beginning about 1525, copperplate engraved bookplates were

introduced. Copper is a soft metal that allows for elaborately
detailed hand engraving. Working with copperplates afforded artists
greater freedom to execute the beautiful flourishes and
embellishments that were quite popular among patrons and artists of
the period.
Until the mid-sixteenth century, book and art collecting in Europe had
been limited to royalty and the upper classes. Aristocratic patrons
significantly influenced the tastes and preferences of the broader
society throughout Europe. With the growth of an affluent and
educated middle class, private libraries proliferated and book
collecting came into vogue. The books of this period were
masterfully produced, utilizing letterpress text combined with
copperplate engraved illustrations.
The eighteenth century was perhaps one of the finest periods for
bookplate engraving. While heraldry remained popular, other motifs
included mythical allegories and instruments symbolizing professions
such as medicine and architecture. Although French artists made the
most important advances in the development of engraving on metal,
artists in Italy and Great Britain also produced excellent pieces.
Some of these prints represented famous paintings and collaboration
developed between the draftsman and the engraver. Elegant, ornate
examples displaying vignettes and inscriptions were also
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representative of this period.
Early English
Although there are few examples of the Early English style, one fine
bookplate was created for Joseph Dudley. In this style, bookplates
contain the coat-of-arms with elaborate mantling surrounding three
and sometimes four sides of the shield. The owner’s name, title, date,
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and sometimes his address is includedCOPY
in the artwork.
Jacobean
The Jacobean style is generally seen in bookplates designed from

approximately 1700 to 1745. These plates have an ornate, carved
design and are evenly balanced with exacting proportions. The shield
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is of a rectangular shape COPYplaced over an elaborate
and is frequently
frame. The background appears to have a fish-scale pattern or built-
up as a solid brick wall.
Chippendale
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The Chippendale style succeeded the Jacobean. These plates made
their appearance from 1745 through 1790. Bookplate experts
presume that the name given to this style resulted from the “ornate
and flowering spirit” that Thomas Chippendale introduced into
woodcarving and upholstery of this period. The light, attractive
designs offer a pleasing contrast to its predecessor, an exquisite
combination of scrolls, flowers, and other details.
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Ribbon & Wreath
By 1790, the Ribbon & Wreath style dominated. Simplistic designs

utilizing a spade-shaped shield unsupported, without background. As
the name suggests, these designs incorporate ribbons and the
wreathing of flowers.
Wood engraved shield by Thomas Bewick (1753-1829) UK
A revival of wood engraving occurred at the turn of the nineteenth

century. A newer, innovative process, whereby the design was cut
into the end grain of the wood block, not only allowed greater detail
but was also less costly than metal. British artist Thomas Bewick
(1753-1829) perfected this white-line technique, whereby closely
spaced white lines define the subject matter. Many wood-engraved
bookplates by Bewick and his followers portray romantic themes,
elegant heraldic motifs, and complex landscapes.
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Thibaudeau bookplate by Charles William Sherborn (1831-1912), UK
As previously mentioned, copper is a soft metal, steel being much

harder to engrave, although steel affords crisp lines and is especially
good for longer press runs. Engraving on copper and steel continued
into late nineteenth and early twentieth century being created by such
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and George W. Eve in England.
Bookplates in the Americas

16th century fire mark from Mexico
In the Americas, “fire marks” or brands were used in sixteenth-

century Mexican convents to signify book ownership. These large,
well-bound books were actually burned along the edge of the text
pages with a hot branding iron leaving an indelible mark of a symbol
or figure identifying the convent’s religious order. The fire mark was
superseded by a printed ex libris during the eighteenth century as
aristocrats, civil servants, and clergymen amassed libraries. The
main sources of inspiration for bookplates were the numerous
European printed books that were taken to New Spain by early
settlers.
The territory that became the United States has a history of more than
three and one half centuries of bookplate design. Evidence of
bookplates and book collectors dates from the time of the earliest
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English and Dutch settlers, COPY
who often brought a number of their
favorite books with them. If these books survived the perils of the
Atlantic passage, their bookplates might also have remained intact
and pasted inside the front covers. Stephen Daye printed the earliest
known dated colonial ex libris for his own use in 1642. Most of the
colonial era bookplates were engraved in England for prominent
families of the South. These bookplates incorporated the popular
family coat-of-arms subject matter.
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Bookplate engraved by Paul Revere (1734-1818), USA
In contrast, early settlers of the northern colonies, particularly those

who had fled political or religious persecution in the Old World,
harbored an aversion to all symbols of privilege associated with
nobility. Later generations took great pride in their ancestry and
flaunted their aristocratic claims. It is important to note that
bookplates in the North were designed and executed by American
engravers. Although this work is not nearly as refined as that of
European engravers, these examples are highly prized by collectors.
Important American engravers of this period include Nathaniel Hurd,
Peter Rushton Maverick, and Paul Revere. Paul Revere, the Boston
engraver, silversmith, and patriot of the American Revolution
designed bookplates. Appropriately, the motto on his plate was
“Pugna pro patria” – “I fight for my country.”
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Bookplate for George Washington (1732-1799)
George Washington used a motto on his bookplate, “Exitus acta

probat” – “The end shows the deed.” This is not a family motto, but
may be interpreted with a patriotic meaning.
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Pintard bookplate by Alexander Anderson (1775-1870), USA
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Anderson (1775-1870). Anderson is
considered to be the first American wood engraver.
In the United States, Sidney Lawton Smith, William Fowler Hopson,

Edwin Davis French, Joseph Winfred Spenceley, and Arthur Nelson
Macdonald became known as the “Little Masters” of copperplate
engraving. These late nineteenth, early twentieth century artists
produced exquisite pictorial designs employing vignettes and
ornamentation reminiscent of fine bank note engraving.
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Allen bookplate by Sidney Lawton Smith (1845-1929), USA

Sidney Lawton Smith (1845-1929) was born and lived the majority
of his life in Massachusetts. He first worked as a steel engraver
expanding his knowledge of illustrating techniques through his work
in publishing. The majority of Smith’s 231 etched or engraved
bookplates were judged to be very accomplished at matching the
lettering used with the graphic.
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Newmark bookplate by William Fowler Hopson (1849-1935), USA

William Fowler Hopson (1849-1935) was born in Watertown,
Connecticut. In his late teens he started work as an engraver and
moved to New York. Here he studied drawing and worked as an
engraver of book illustrations. Hopson moved back to Connecticut
where he continued illustrating books, including 2,500 blocks for an
edition of Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary. At age 43, he created a
first bookplate for himself and then went on to produce more than 200
throughout his career. Hopson’s strength was in expressing the
owner’s individuality through images of homes, library interiors, or
hobbies – generally within an ornate, attractive frame.
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Burnham bookplate by Edwin Davis French (1851-1906), USA
Edwin Davis French (1851-1906) was born in Massachusetts, Mr.

French’s early designs focused on themes of great interest to
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By combining
techniques he created exquisite pictorial designs.
Abbott bookplate by J. Winfred Spenceley (1865-1908), USA
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as an engraver in Boston and Chicago. He
developed expertise in landscape and that quality is seen throughout
his 213 bookplate creations.
Black bookplate by Arthur Nelson Macdonald (1866-1940), USA
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(1866-1940) was another Massachusetts
native who lived in New England until he was a young adult. He
experimented with wood engraving as a child, later taking lessons in
copper and silver engraving while working in a jewelry store. He
established a strong friendship and mentor relationship with Edwin
Davis French from whom he received encouragement and criticism.
His work featured the use of frames around the graphic with lettering
at the base of the frame.
Bookplate Collecting
As the interests in collecting developed, the first Ex Libris Society
was founded in London in 1891. By the end of that year, the society
membership included more than three hundred enthusiasts in England,
Europe, and the United States. Interest in this pastime promptly
spread across the Atlantic and throughout Europe. In the United
States, the first bookplate society was organized in 1896 as the
Washington Ex-Libris Society. Since 1922, the American Society of
Bookplate Collectors & Designers (ASBC&D) has been the
forerunner in the United States with growing membership today in
Canada and Latin America.
Collecting is a companionable occupation allowing one to meet

collectors and many of the best artists of the time. It is through this
fellowship that we build friendships with our ex libris colleagues
from all nations. Yes, bookplates are the passport to friendship.
Grace B. Sibley was an American collector living in Australia during
the late 1930s. Sibley once said that: “Like music, bookplates speak
all languages and are virtually small ambassadors of friendship and
international understanding when exchanged with the bookplates of
collectors in other countries.”
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Sibley bookplate by Harold Byrne (1899-1966), Australia
Unique to this art form, bookplate collections accumulate through the

exchange of duplicate pieces and collectors will have different
designs made specifically for the purposes of trading. The collectors
will commission dozens REVIEW COPYhundreds of the best
and perhaps
contemporary artists, the goal being to increase the size, scope and
quality of their holdings. They keep checklists and organize their
holdings by artist, technique, and period. This is our tradition. Some
personal collections number in the hundreds of thousands!
Ex Libris congresses were initiated in Europe as early as 1953 with
the first meeting held in Austria. These started as national meetings,
then joining with the European nations and eventually the world
community of artists and collectors. The European meetings were
organized annually and hosted by bookplate associations in their
respective countries. Some of the early congresses were held in
Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, and so on.
Societies hold meetings for making contacts and exchanges between

artists and collectors. This started first at a local, national, and later
at an international level. In 1966, the Fédération Internationale des
Sociétés d’Amateurs d’Ex-libris (FISAE) was organized at
Hamburg, Germany. This association is also known as the
International Federation of Bookplate Societies.
This FISAE biennial congress has become the event for serious
bookplate collectors since its inception. The international congress
unites collectors, artists, scholars, historians, librarians, educators,
art lovers, and researchers. There are always several fine exhibitions
to view presenting both historical and contemporary works that are
sometimes accompanied by illustrated talks. Guided tours of the
region are an added plus and the feverish exchange of bookplates
will continue throughout the 4-5 day event!
Every two years a FISAE international congress is hosted by a

different member nation. There are nearly 60 nations associated with
FISAE today. Another new biennial meeting is presented in the
Americas that invites aficionados from Canada to Argentina. The
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Congress was initiated in 16th century town
of San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico. This meeting enjoys
international participation at the well known Instituto Allende Fine
Arts College. Here the school hosts Master Artist workshops,
exhibitions, lectures, exchanges.
Interest in ex libris has ebbed and flowed, notably subsiding during
World War II and gathering renewed momentum during the 1950s.
The enthusiasm for bookplate art continues in most countries of the
world today. In the 21st century, there are signs of renewed interest in
the Americas with exciting movements in the book arts. Still there are
hundreds of leading artists, printmakers, and book illustrators
producing exquisite contemporary works throughout Europe, Russia,
and Asia.
If you are interested in the research and collecting of historic ex

libris, you’ll be surprised at the number of collectors willing to
exchange older examples for contemporary works. Commissioning a
bookplate should be a first priority when entering this field of
collecting and having a personal ex libris inside your books brings
great pleasure. Most people who have developed an interest in
bookplates have an established interest in the book arts. So your own
personal mark of ownership seems most appropriate.
Bookplates in the 21st century

Today many bookplate aficionados who collect historic ex libris,
also collect contemporary ones. As previously mentioned, during the
first part of the 20th century, bookplates were produced in original
signed, numbered print editions and used primarily for exchange. The
same can be said for the last thirty years and often ex libris prints are
collected as small graphics.
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artists have made superb bookplates. The artistic and technical
quality of a bookplate outweighs its utilitarian purpose. Yet most
collectors regard these prints as a personal mark of ownership. The
artwork is a reflection of the interests of the owner the story behind it
is a unique creation interpreted by the artist. These are sometimes
referred to as “luxury” bookplates.
The basics of bookplate collecting remain the same in the 21st century
as they did a century ago. Although in the 21 st century there seems to
be a new underground of enthusiasts who are building their entire
collections through online auctions. Most of these new collectors
cannot begin to comprehend the sense of fellowship realized through
exchanging and building a collection in the traditional way. Many of
the e-auction refugees who have joined our society are amazed by the
normal process of exchanging prints since they have grown
accustomed to paying, sometimes exorbitant prices, for their
acquisitions. Of course, to appreciate the full benefits new collectors
must get involved with our exclusive international network.
Many individuals and institutions hold membership in more than one

society, depending on their area of interest. Through membership in
an association you can take advantage of an organization’s bookplate
auctions and get acquainted with the members. Always try to attend
the meetings because this is an important networking tool. Then take
the plunge and go to a FISAE congress, and build up more
international contacts. If you like contemporary plates, this is the only
way to acquire them. You just can’t imagine what it is like to be in an
exchange room with 100s of ex libris enthusiasts — this takes online
auction fever up to new levels as a gentleperson’s pastime, at a mere
fraction of the cost. You must order some bookplates in your name by
a few artists, to have some materials for exchange — this is where
you’ll meet the artists & collectors and how you build a serious
collection. Be selective and always, always strive for the best!
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My first international ex libris congress was held in Sapporo, Japan,
1992. The Nippon Ex Libris Association hosted this meeting. Here I
established lifelong friendships with such legendary figures in our
field as: George Sekine, Ichigoro Uchida, Cliff Parfit, Elly de Koster,
Frank-Ivo van Damme, Joke van den Brandt, Klaus Roedel, and
Heinrich Scheffer. These ex libris enthusiasts are household names
within our network and it is very likely that superb examples of their
personal bookplates will eventually turn up in your collections.
Inevitably, new members will experience a true revelation about

building a collection once they have attended a congress. The real
drama and excitement of bookplates is in the exchange of ideas and
friendship between collectors and artists, whether in person at a
congress or through correspondence.
Commissioning Your Own Bookplate

Today, leading Chinese and Japanese print makers produce fine and
beautiful multi-color woodcut bookplates. Throughout Eastern
Europe and Russia, artists turn out exquisite mezzotints, and
aquatints. Wood, copper engravings, serigraphs and etchings are
created by artists in Western Europe. In Canada, the United States,
Mexico, and South America, works are produced in a variety of
media. Despite these trends toward sophisticated design and
execution, the contemporary bookplate is often simpler in concept
and design than the bookplate works of the early 20th century.
Belgian collector and author, Luc van den Briele, wrote that “an ex
libris should be a synthesis of the ideas and feeling of both artist and
client. The commitment of the artist must be notably present but the
subject chosen by the commissioner must leave its mark on the result.
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heart, the artistic expression is the blood that
makes the heart beat. That one cannot exist without the other.”
It is not necessary to be a famous person to own a personalized ex

libris. The only prerequisite is to have a love for your books. As of
this 2013 writing, prices for a personal bookplate may range from as
little as fifty to one thousand dollars, depending on the artist, country,
and the technique employed.
The ASBC&D maintains portfolios of contemporary bookplates,

current lists of names, addresses, and examples of many fine
international artists for Society members to view. If you are
interested in commissioning a bookplate, we are always happy to
assist with guidance and proper letters of introduction.
The following section of our book is approximately alphabetical by

continent, country, and artist including brief artist biographies
alongside examples of their work. We hope that you will enjoy this
section and that it will serve as an inspiration to you.
Please feel free to visit the ASBC&D’s website and drop us a line at:
info@bookplate.org
James P. Keenan
American Society of Bookplate
Collectors & Designers
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THE AMERICAS
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UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA
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Priscilla Alpaugh Cotter
(1959 — )
United States of America
PRISCILLA ALPAUGH COTTER studied painting and illustration at

the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and did her graduate
work at Syracuse University.
She lives in Massachusetts and works at her own Priscilla Alpaugh

Studios as a freelance illustrator. Priscilla has been designing
bookplates for many years, primarily in pencil, pen & ink,
watercolor, and scratchboard. She a member of the Graphic Artists
Guild.
“I take my inspiration from bookplates that I have seen, I am

particularly inspired by Art Nouveau styles as well as the highly
detailed engravings from the 20th century. I hope to produce
bookplates that have a sense of history to them.”
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Tamara Balenko
(1956 — )
TAMARA BALENKO was born in the Ukraine. Her artworks, which

are displayed at over 80 exhibitions across a dozen countries and in
permanent museum collections, are held in high esteem by collectors
the world over. She is the recipient of the Paula Stellera medal.
Balenko’s artworks are regarded by many to be masterpieces of
beauty.
“The contemporary bookplate, in its best form, is capable of

creating an intellectual, psychological, and professional portrait
of its bearer. Understanding the language of technical exchange
symbols used by ex libris enthusiasts requires appropriate
study.”
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Derek Black
(1967 — )
DEREK BLACK studied at the Minneapolis College of Art and

Design, where his main focus was printmaking and sculpture. This
resulted in the formation of Pandemonium Press®, his own private
press and art studio.
“I continue to live and work in St. Paul, Minnesota, with my

two daughters, where we have three private presses under one
roof. While getting back to life as an active artist and bookplate
nut, I also find pleasure in treasure hunting in thrift stores and
sometimes enjoy the never ending projects of my one hundred
year old home.”
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Bruce Chandler
(1945 — )
BRUCE CHANDLER is a printer and publisher. He is the proprietor

of the Heron Press in Boston, Massachusetts, where he publishes
portfolios and books in limited edition. His work has been widely
exhibited and is held in many public and private collections.
Chandler worked for several years as an apprentice in printmaking

with George Lockwood at the Impressions Workshop and in
letterpress printing with Harold McGrath at the Gehenna Press. He
has taught printing, etching and lithography at Boston University,
SUNY at Binghamton, and the Massachusetts College of Art.
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Matthew James Collins
(1970 — )
MATTHEW JAMES COLLINS was born in Oak Park, Illinois. After

graduating with a BA in History of Art and Architecture from the
University of Illinois at Chicago he continued his studies at the
School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he focused on drawing,
etching and sculpture.
Collins has designed several bookplates by etching techniques. He

teaches at the Charles H. Cecil Studios in Florence, Italy.
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Stuart A. Copans
(1943 — )
STUART A. COPANS is the proprietor of the Le Pauvre Press in

Brattleboro, Vermont, where he published King Solomon’s Fool
1984. He is a cartoonist, papercutter, book illustrator, book artist,
and writer. Copans holds membership with the Graphic Artists
Guild, the Cartoonists Guild and the American Art Therapy
Association.
Copans was featured by Marica Feldman on an article entitled, “Wit

& Ceremony in Stu Copan’s Art,” in the National Jewish Monthly,
1973. He has participated in several solo and group exhibitions in the
United States and Mexico.
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Rosemary Feit Covey
(1954 — )
ROSEMARY FEIT COVEY is a printmaker, whose work focuses on

wood engraving. She was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and
studied at Cornell University and the Maryland Institute College of
Art. She has a studio at the Torpedo Factory Art Center in
Alexandria, Virginia.
Covey´s talent as a book illustrator is seen in capturing emotion

through her visual narration of the story. The illustrations for the Pied
Piper of Hamelin are superb examples of this. Throughout her
career, she has produced several limited edition letterpress books.
Her engravings are in major international museum and library
collections.
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Keith Cranmer
(1952 — )
KEITH CRANMER is a Berkeley, California, based artist who

works on paper with drawing, gouache, ink, and painting. He prints
from metal & wood engravings, etchings, and intaglio print making.
His main interest is representational figurative drawing with, at
times, a surreal edge.
“My affection for design and use of hand engraving has led
me through nearly forty years of study in their use. Currently, I
enjoy engraving for printing and printmaking. This includes end
grain wood engraving or white line engraving used in relief
printing for letterpress and also black line engraving into copper
or steel plate for intaglio printing.
Ex Libris design and engraving is new to me and thus far I have

produced only a few. This medium is an intriguing vehicle for
fine work. That the bookplate is used in fine editions, libraries,
and enthusiastically collected is a tribute to the beautifully
executed graphic image. The current state of the art leans more
toward fine printmaking than the utilitarian bookplate of the
past.”
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Ray Frenden
(1981 — )
RAY FRENDEN is an illustrator. The great color and lines seen

throughout his fantastic work have been greatly influenced by master
comic book illustrators such Milton Caniff, Alfredo Alcala, Johnny
Craig, and Frank Frazetta. Frenden is from Chicago, Illinois. He lives
in Austin, Texas.
“I’m a self-taught illustrator with a penchant for monsters and

the macabre. Drawing from a childhood weaned on old horror
comics, pulp fiction, and sci-fi, my brush and ink work hearkens
to an older era. My sensibilities for line and footing in current
color and design trends helps make my work unique.”
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David Lance Goines
(1945 — )
DAVID LANCE GOINES describes himself as self-taught artist. His

experience as an apprentice pressman at the Berkeley Free Press led
him to establish his own Saint Hieronymous Press, where he designs
limited edition posters and prints them by offset lithography. Goines’
posters have been recognized and exhibited internationally and are
highly collectible. His posters have been reproduced in Print,
American Illustration, and Graphis magazines.
Goines’ bookplate designs are mostly linocuts and printed on a

letterpress. He is a member of the American Institute of Graphic Arts
and the Poster Society.
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Christopher W. Kent
(1956 — )
CHRISTOPHER W. KENT is a graphic artist living in California.

He also practices landscape architecture, which he studied during his
graduate studies at the University of California at Berkeley.
Kent works with drawings, graphic design, and plein air paintings.
His artwork in three dimensional watercolor has been exhibited
throughout the United States. Kent’s commissioned bookplates
artfully combines the interests of the client with scenes from nature
and architecture.
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John G. Kristensen
(1950 — )
JOHN G. KRISTENSEN is the proprietor of the Firefly Press

located in Boston, Massachusetts. Though trained as an architectural
historian, he found his mission in fine printing. For more than 30
years he has directed the activities of the press as a commercial
letterpress printing office and type foundry. This work has led him to
both further studies and teaching, with his chief interest being Boston
and New England printers of the early twentieth century.
His press has been printing bookplates for colleges and institutions in
the Boston area since 1978. He prints classical bookplates utilizing
traditional foundry types and ornaments.
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Serik Kulmeshkenov
(1956 — )
SERIK KULMESHKENOV was born in Kazakhstan. He pursued a

career in art and architecture before immigrating to the United States
in 1993. He presently lives in Minnesota. His art work has been
exhibited in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.
“Since 1985, when I unexpectedly discovered this unique art

of bookplate engraving, my heart has been deeply in love with
that genre and I continue creating the world of my ex libris.
It is true that the bookplate design saved my life at hard times. It

helped to keep my soul pure and kind, helped to make good
friends in many countries and cultures. This art provides for real
communication without borders.”
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Michael McCurdy
(1942 — )
MICHAEL McCURDY is a popular illustrator, wood engraver,

author, and publisher. He has illustrated over 200 books. Most were
wood engravings, often having historical or natural themes. Born in
1942, he graduated from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in
Boston and Tufts University, where he obtained a Master of Fine Arts
degree.
His Penmaen Press has designed, printed, and published limited

editions of high quality literary works. These include first edition
poetry, fiction, and translations by leading American and European
writers and poets from 1968 to 1985.
McCurdy has engraved bookplates for a wide variety of clients. He

is a member of Boston’s distinguished Society of Printers.
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Daniel P. Mitsui
(1982 — )
DANIEL P. MITSUI graduated from Dartmouth College and now

lives in Chicago. He specializes in detailed pen & ink drawings.
Daniel Mitsui’s work is influenced by medieval religious art,
biological illustration, and early 20th century newspaper comics. He
has been making bookplates since 2007.
Given the nature of his specialty, many requests have religious

themes, but Mitsui also designs bookplates that feature tree frogs,
insects, and dragonflies, all drawn in meticulous detail with pen.
“Bookplates allow people to put some work of art into their

books. It’s a way to create a very customized, thoughtful,
personal work of art on a small scale.”
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Barry Moser
(1940 — )
BARRY MOSER was born in Tennessee and is one of the country’s

foremost book designers, wood engravers, and illustrators. He
studied at Auburn University, the University of Tennessee at
Chattanooga and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
In addition to his work as an illustrator, Moser is also a printer,

painter, printmaker, designer, author, essayist, and teacher. He
frequently lectures and acts as visiting artist and artist in residence at
universities and institutions across the country.
The books Moser has illustrated and/or designed form an impressive

list of over three hundred titles. Some books that he has illustrated
include: Dante’s Inferno, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland , Moby
Dick, Frankenstein, and The Bible.
His bookplates have been wood engraved for institutions and

individuals.
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Anthony Russo
(1949 — )
ANTHONY RUSSO is a popular editorial illustrator from Rhode

Island. Born in 1949, he is known for his editorial and book
illustrations. His client list includes the Washington Post, Vanity
Fair, Rolling Stone and the New Yorker. His graphic works can be
seen regularly in illustrated books for Random House,
HarperCollins, and David R. Godine.
Russo has worked with scratchboard, linoleum cuts, woodcuts,

digital, pen & ink. He has taught illustration at the Rhode Island
School of Design in Providence and Parsons School of Design in
New York City. He presently lives in Rhode Island.
“The international community of bookplate collectors and

designers points to the fact that our common language is a visual
one and this language springs from our common humanity.”
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Marina Terauds
(1961 — )
MARINA TERAUDS works primarily with etching techniques. In

school Marina studied with important ex libris artists Peter Upitis
and Gunar Krollis.
“I am an intaglio printmaker. I was born in Siberia, Russia.

My family returned to Latvia when I was 8. I graduated from
Latvian Academy of Arts (MFA in printmaking) and Latvian
State University (Master’s in Art Education). In 2000 I moved to
Michigan, USA, where I set up a printmaking studio and work as
self employed artist. I made my first ex libris in 1981. Today my
opus list is close to 200 bookplates.
I love this form of art due to its small size that requires such
special attention to details. I also like the connection that
develops with a particular person (or establishment) and finding
the way to show this connection visually.”
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Richard Wagener
(1944 — )
RICHARD WAGENER lives in the San Francisco Bay Area today.

He spent almost his entire life in Southern California, where he has
journeyed to the high desert and the Sierra Nevada many times. His
undergraduate studies, at the University of San Diego, were in
biology. He intended to pursue oceanography. However, his interest
in art led him to formal study of abstract painting at the Center
College of Design, then in Los Angeles, where he received a Master
of Fine Arts degree.
Wood engraving caught his imagination in 1979 and has been the
focus of Wagener´s work ever since. He established his own imprint,
Mixolydian Editions, and has published several fine engraved works
including Cracked Sidewalks, California in Relief, and Mountains &
Religion. His image of the Old Church in Boston became the logo for
the FISAE International Ex Libris Congress held in 2000.
Wagener currently works and lives in Northern California.
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Several international artists and collectors were asked to express
their views on bookplate collecting and the future of the art form into
the 21st century. Here are some of their comments:
Gabor Konrad is a bookseller and collector from the United

States.
“I think bookplates should first and foremost be a mark of

ownership. Bookplates that are produced simply for trading are
not true bookplates, but personalized prints that water down the
hobby. The trend towards having ‘bookplates’ designed that are
signed and numbered by the artist, but have no ownership name
printed on them is the penultimate expression of the non-
bookplate bookplate.
The first step in having a bookplate designed is having a

collection or library for which the plates are to be used; my
favorite bookplates include the name of the owner and reveal
something not only about the owner, but the collection it will be
pasted into. The book is the most important facet of the
bookplate.”
Jose Vincente de Braganca is a collector from Portugal.

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“This has been a controversial question in most countries
where there is significant ex libris activity. These are the
countries having national Bookplate Societies and regular
meetings of ex libris amateurs, with the probable exception of
the U.K. and to a certain extent in Portugal.
After World War II international meetings were organized
during the 1950s. The focus on ‘ex libris’ as works of art were
exchanged in the form of small engravings made by reputed
artists. The exclusive purpose of exchanging bookplate prints
and building collections of ‘small graphics.’
In this case, no relation exists between the small print bearing

the word ex libris and a name, and the books, which might not
even exist!
To the more conservative and traditional point of view, a print

can only be considered an ex libris if it is meant to be used in
one’s books attesting its ownership through a small work of art.
I think in most countries those who defend this view are maybe a
minority, since the collectors of small prints unduly called ‘ex
libris’ and the artists who make them have grown immensely
over the past few decades. The main purpose is in this case the
exchange of pieces and the collection of as many prints of a
given artist as possible, often, as I said, with no relation to book
ownership.
Despite the growth of Internet and the apparent decay of the

printed book, I believe there are still a considerable number of
bibliophiles or simple book lovers among us. These are the
people who like to adorn and enrich their editions with a printed
mark of ownership – a bookplate, showing some of its owners
preferences, hobbies, or with a theme chosen by the owner
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a more or less accomplished
way.
So, I am not at all surprised when you say that the ASBC&D,
has been receiving an increasing number of inquiries from
people who want what you call a ‘real’ bookplate. And above
all, I rejoice with that news happening in the USA!
The conclusion you seem to draw is but positive and
encouraging for those, like me, who love and collect books and
‘real’ bookplates used for its original purpose.
Please accept my best wishes for your Society and my

congratulations for the tremendous work you have been doing
throughout the Americas rising high the American bookplate
traditions.”
Jan Cernos is a printmaker from the Czech Republic.
“I’ve lately been working in a specific field of printmaking.

Ex libris – the bookplate. On each print the name of the owner
appears, who chooses the motif which should accompany his
books. With this print pasted into the book, the book borrower
was expected to learn something about the owner of the edition.
Usually, it is not so true these days. The prints haven’t been used
in books for quite some time, but collectors still exchange them
by different criteria, preferences, and authors they like.”
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CANADA
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Jocelyne Benoit
(1943 — )
Canada
JOCELYNE BENOIT is from Montreal, Quebec. She worked and

studied in Paris with l’Atelier Lacouriere et Frelautin, known for
making famous art books. She graduated from Ecole de Beaux-Arts in
Montreal, Quebec. Her work has been exhibited internationally and
is held in many public and private collections.
Benoit holds membership with the Heraldry Society of Canada,

American Society of Bookplate Collectors & Designers, and Xylon.
Bookplates by Jocelyne Benoit are created through the use of

woodcuts, using both hard and soft wood, and at times, the mix of
woodcut with copperplate etching. She also incorporates wood
letters.
“I create bookplates because I like the intimacy, the

closeness, the close connection, friendship, and the privacy that
this work of art gives, just like the art books I make.”
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Martin Dufour
(1937 — )
Canada
MARTIN DUFOUR was born in Quebec and is a book designer,

calligrapher, engraver, and typographer from Montreal. He studied at
the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and Sir George Williams
University. Dufour is the founder of Dufour et Fille Design, which is
involved in the creation of art and museum books. He has been an art
director for advertising agencies and the Publications Director at the
Universite de Montreal.
Dufour´s bookplates combine typography, ornaments, and letterpress

printing.
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Tanya Miller
(1979 — )
Canada
TANYA MILLER was born in Khabarovsk, Russia. Since her early

childhood Miller has been influenced by art and literature. You could
say that she was brought up with the art of ex libris. She graduated
with a Fine Arts degree from Dordt College in Iowa, USA, and now
lives in Montreal, Quebec, with her family. Tanya’s works have been
widely exhibited throughout the world.
“Books give me so many ideas, and emotional excitement

that I need to pour them out somewhere. Art serves as best
means for that purpose. When I was a student, nothing was better
for me than to come back from school, pick-up a book, cover
myself with a warm blanket, and read, read, read. Books
transport me to other countries, other times. I can live through
different experiences and feel different emotions. It helps me to
develop my imagination and provides a lot of inspiration in art.”
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Sergey Tyukanov
(1955 — )
Canada
SERGEY TYUKANOV was born in a small town on the Pacific

coast of Russia. He trained formally as a printmaker. His creations
are drawn from stories, folklore, and myths from around the world.
He has participated in more than 300 international exhibitions.
“In my view, the bookplate has ceased to be a label used in a

personal library that reflects the interests and profession of the
library’s owner. Bookplates have turned into an independent
genre of the arts, becoming the subject of collecting and sharing.
For me, as an artist, ex libris is uniquely small graphic art form,
made as a commission. And bookplates are not created for
library identification, but for exchange and collecting with other
enthusiasts. Many of today’s collectors of ex libris do not have
vast library collections, but they are connoisseurs of graphics.”
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MEXICO
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Emilio Carrasco Gutiérrez
(1954 — )
Mexico
EMILIO CARRASCO GUTIÉRREZ was born in Mexico City where

he spent his youth and was educated through high school. He is a
teacher, a contemporary painter, and an engraver. He is
internationally recognized for his many works.
Carrasco studied with Carlos Orozco Romero. After graduating from

the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas (UNAM), where he studied
with Gilberto Aceves Navarro, he became a professor of drawing at
the School of Fine Arts at the Complutense University of Madrid, and
a scholarship student at the Ministry of Culture of Spain in Segovia.
Carrasco´s art has been included in nearly 75 solo exhibitions and

150 group exhibitions throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. He
has received the “Arts of the State” and the “Pedro Colonel” awards
in Zacatecas.
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Concepción Elvira Provenzal
(1953 — )
Mexico
CONCEPCIÓN ELVIRA PROVENZAL was born in Mexico City.

Her parents were both artists and her father was an entrepreneur.
They had a popular arts and crafts gallery near the city center. From
this comes her lifelong devotion to arts and crafts.
Elvira is an illustrator, painter, and jeweler. She has several

bookplate designs on her checklist.
“I have always loved books and I enjoy working in a small

format. The art of the bookplate satisfies both of these interests.
I especially enjoy the design challenge and research involved in
the creation of a personalized design.”
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Francisco Daniel Quintanar
(1971 — )
Mexico
FRANCISCO DANIEL QUINTANAR is from Mexico City. He

studied visual arts at the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas
(UNAM) and has participated in international exhibitions.
Quintanar understands all of the qualities of a fine ex libris in terms

of paper, size, and translation of the owner’s ideas and interests. His
bookplates showcase his mastery of engraving and his unique style.
He has won several international prizes for his relief printing.
“The art of ex libris has peculiarities of great interest for all

of us who appreciate thorough observation. It is the
representation of a living person, a bibliophile, and owner of a
library. An engraved bookplate can be a beautiful example that
meets with the function of design combined with eloquent image.
Through this relationship between owner and artist, arise the Ex
Libris.”
In a recent book entitled Quintanar – Alquimista de Ex-Libris

(2009) the author, Mercurio Lopez Casillas, speaks of the artist as “a
master engraver with profound knowledge of both old and modern
techniques and a perfect execution of xylography, etching, and
lithography.”
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Joel Rendón
(1967 — )
Mexico
JOEL RENDÓN was born in Matamoros and is from Mexico City.

He pursued studies at the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas
(UNAM) and did his graduate work at the Academia de San Carlos.
As an artist Rendón has made great efforts to open new horizons for
popular culture and media. He is the founder of the Estampa
workshop, which is a live project that utilizes innovative techniques
and new materials for graphic arts printmaking.
Rendón is also a published illustrator of children’s books. His

published credits include La Invención de los Canibales (La Otra
Escalera), El Nombre Del Juego Es Posada, and La Busqueda del
Espíritu.
Throughout his career, Rendón has worked to create a movement in

engraving among artists. He went a long way to understanding this
mission, almost a religious experience, whose preparation began,
unknowingly, when he entered the Escuela Nacional de Artes
Plásticas (UNAM).
“Nobody wanted to be a printmaker, even I looked into the

Popular Graphics Workshop without finding any interest. The
graphic arts helped me to survive in the United States, where I
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participated in the Mexican COPYWorkshop in Chicago,
Printmaking
this being a revelation for me to illustrate the Mexican people in
voluntary exile."
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Artemio Rodriguez
(1972 — )
Mexico
ARTEMIO RODRIGUEZ was born in Michoacan. Rodriguez studied

agronomy at the Universidad Autonomo Chapingo. As a teenager he
learned letterpress printing and book design from a master printer
near his hometown.
Rodriguez works primarily with linocuts. His prints can be seen in

museums, galleries, and in illustrated books. He designed the logo for
the First Inter-American Ex Libris Congress held at the Instituto
Allende Fine Arts College in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato,
Mexico, in 2009.
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Sergio Sanchez Santamaria
(1976 — )
Mexico
SERGIO SANCHEZ SANTAMARIA was born in Tlayacapan,

Morelos, a traditional village distinguished by its arts and crafts. He
received his Fine Arts degree from the Escuela Nacional de Pintura,
Escultura y Grabado, also known as La Esmeralda.
Sanchez recently presented an ex libris course in Lithography, a

monotype workshop at Colby-Sawyer College in New Hampshire,
USA. His art has been exhibited internationally.
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Carolina Viñamata
(1964 — )
Mexico
CAROLINA VIÑAMATA was born in Mexico City. In 1991 she

earned a Graphic Design degree from the Escuela Nacional de Artes
Plásticas (UNAM). She continued her graduate studies at the
Academia de San Carlos in Mexico City where she was awarded a
Master of Visual Arts degree in Printmaking. Carolina has taught
engraving and the art of bookplates at the Academia de San Carlos
for years now. Many of her students have become important ex libris
artists in Mexico today.
Viñamata’s work is primarily executed in techniques of wood

engraving, aquatint, and etching. Her numerous solo exhibitions
include Silence & Absence, at the Xavier Villaurrutia Gallery,
Mexico City (2008); Silence at the Gallery La Caixa, Barcelona,
Spain (2003); and The Color of Elves, Gallery Café Tamayo, Mexico
City (1998). Viñamata was also been selected at the International
Biennial Embossing in Kiwa, Japan (2006), the eighth Biennale
Internazionale per L’incisione, Italy (2007), and International
Competition Aires to Cordoba, Spain (2006).
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ARGENTINA
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Eva Farji
(1978 — )
Argentina
EVA FARJI was born in Israel and spent her early childhood years in
Barcelona. She moved to Argentina in 1986 and studied Fine Arts at
the Universidad de Buenos Aires. In 1997 she began specializing in
engraving.
In addition to being an award winning ex libris artist, Farji is also an

active book illustrator. Her illustrations for publishers include the
New Testament and the “Ballad of Reading Gaol,” a poem by Oscar
Wilde. She regularly participates in shows and group exhibitions of
graphic art both nationally and internationally.
Farji is on the Board of Directors of Xylon Argentina, a society of

printmakers. The Society is dedicated to study of bookplates and
engages in dissemination of this art through GADEL (Friends of Ex
Libris).
“The bookplate is a discipline of graphic arts where the

artist develops a rich symbolic language. Whether the ex libris
is used in books or simply used for exchange, the significance of
the artwork is in the symbols developed through the eyes of an
artist.”
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Muriel Frega
(1972 — )
Argentina
MURIEL FREGA was born in Buenos Aires. She graduated from the
Manuel Belgrano and the Prilidiano Pueyrredón Schools of Art.
Presently she works as a freelance illustrator. She has been making
bookplates since 1991. Frega’s first bookplate was for well-known
Italian collector, Mario de Filippis.
“I feel far from knowing a global answer about the future of

ex libris into the 21st century. I am still exploring all of the new
technology like I-Pads, E-books and the meaning of a bookplate
(e-bookplate?) for these devices . . . I am primarily interested in
executing ex libris through computer generated designs. Vector
shape images made with computer, printed by me. I like plain
colors and restricted palettes. For me, bookplates are the escape
from the everyday life. I love making them and feel free to
investigate all the new graphic elements and techniques.”
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Esteban Grimi
(1972 — )
Argentina
ESTEBAN GRIMI was born in Argentina. He studied at the School

of Fine Arts at the Universidad Nacional de Rosario. In 1996 he
relocated to Mendoza, where he currently lives and teaches fine art
and engraving.
Grimi likes to play with different themes. Many of his designs

incorporate elements from mythology, literature, erotica, animals, and
death. In terms of technique, he often uses plastic engraving, which is
printed with black ink or in colors, using different plates for each
color. He also works with collography and computer generated
design.
“I think the future for ex libris design is very good. That is

because since CGD was admitted as a technique. The result
being that many new artists appeared making ex libris, and many
others changed the ways of using the computer, thus creating a
new language in the graphic arts field. Furthermore, graphic
artists and printmakers will continue to work with the traditional
techniques, because the bibliophiles and ex libris collectors
require it.”
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Marcela Miranda
(1956 — )
Argentina
MARCELA MIRANDA was born in Buenos Aires. She began her

studies in drawing and painting at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas
Artes Prilidiano Pueyrredón where she graduated as a professor of
drawing and painting. Miranda currently teaches at the Escuela de
Bellas Artes Rogelio Yrurtia.
Miranda perfected her engraving techniques through various

workshops: xylography with Carlos Demestre, lithography with
Osvaldo Jalil, monoprints with Eduardo Levy, and lithography with
Marcelo and Julio Malagamba Dolz.
She is a member of the board of Xylon Argentina and founding

member GADEL (Friends of Ex Libris).
“I started working on ex libris in 1995, participating in

exhibitions and competitions of both national and international
custom bookplate designs.”
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Fernando Polito
(1975 — )
Argentina
FERNANDO POLITO was born in Argentina. He graduated as a

Senior Lecturer of Engraving and Visual Art Professor from the
Escuela Municipal de Bellas Artes Carlos Morel in Quilmes. Polito
studied theory and technique of ex libris with Mauricio Schvarzman,
and manufacture of art materials with Ludovico Perez.
Today Polito teaches Experimental Printmaking at the Escuela

Municipal de Bellas Artes Carlos Morel in Quilmes. His ex libris
prints, currently numbering around a hundred, are known and
exhibited around the world.
Polito has served as jury in various international ex libris contests.

He is an active member of the board of Xylon Argentina.
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Mauricio Schvarzman
(1947 — )
Argentina
MAURICIO SCHVARZMAN was born in Buenos Aires. Mauricio

was educated at Escuelas Nacionales de Bellas Artes Manuel
Belgrano and Prilidiano Pueyrredón which are National Schools of
Fine Arts in Buenos Aires. As a Professor he has taught courses in
both drawing and engraving.
Schvarzman has been awarded over 40 solo exhibitions and

participated in more than 150 group exhibitions. He has received
prizes, diplomas, and mentions in national art venues as well as in
international venues of Europe, Asia, and throughout the Americas.
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Luis Seibert
(1985 — )
Argentina
LUIS SEIBERT was born in Buenos Aires. While studying at the

Instituto Universitario Nacional del Arte he became interested in the
history of engraving, an interest that he continues to pursue.
As an engraver, Seibert specializes in ex libris for libraries. His

work is found in private libraries in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, USA,
and Spain. His ex libris prints are exhibited internationally.
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Julieta Warman
(1975 — )
Argentina
JULIETA WARMAN was born in Buenos Aires. She graduated as a

Fine Arts teacher from the Universidad Nacional de la Plata. She
works with engraving, etching, and lithography.
In 1996 Warman studied etching and lithography with Osvaldo Jalil,

who is a well known engraver in Buenos Aires. Since then, she has
worked as an illustrator for the publishing industry. Among her
credits are woodcuts depicting fairy tales and folklore from
Argentina, woodcut illustrations for a book of poems by Martin
Raninqueo titled War Haiku, and woodcuts for magazines.
Warman currently works as a writer, illustrator, and teacher in her

engraving workshop, Chrysalis, in Buenos Aires. She is a regular
participant in national and international competitions of Ex Libris
Engraving where her prints have received many awards with honors.
“I love to make Ex Libris because I must consider the person

I am portraying symbolically. In my case, even the typography
used is representative of the owner. I use allegorical images,
referring to something about that person or institution. I work a
lot with small chisel and gouges, specifically embossing.”
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BRAZIL
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José Luis Alemán Alvarez
(1937 — )
Brazil
JOSÉ LUIS ALEMÁN ALVAREZ is a graphic designer and a

painter. He was born in Portugal, but he has lived in Brazil for many
years. He has used computer assisted design techniques to execute
many of his unique bookplates, some of which have been created for
family and friends.
Alemán’s ex libris prints have been exhibited across several

countries including Brazil, Venezuela, Portugal, Spain, Belgium,
Mexico, and USA.
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Marcos Varela
(1954 — )
Brazil
MARCOS VARELA began his studies in engraving and printmaking

at the Escola Nacional de Belas Artes at the Universidade Federal do
Rio de Janeiro during the early 1970s. Since that time, he has worked
with various techniques of woodcuts and engraving.
Varela had always been fascinated with working in small format, but
it wasn’t until a few years ago that he began to develop his interest in
ex libris design. His work has become widely known through active
participation in international ex libris competitions and exhibitions.
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Tamara Balenko is an artist and collector from the United States.
“ ‘Signs and Symbols control the world, not words or

laws.” The Chinese philosopher Confucius originally said this.
While it can be questioned, we cannot completely ignore the
importance of the language of symbols in our lives. Just as our
language consists of symbols; sounds and letters which we
employ every day and words used as symbols to express our
thoughts, so does the art of ex libris function as an allegory or
metaphor of some greater idea.
The concept of an ex libris is tied to the birth of printing along

with the creation of books and libraries. For a long time, books
were the only reliable agents of the exchange of information. In
our age there is rapid development of new means of exchanging
ideas through radio, television, and the Internet. This has led to
the initiation of thoughts that question the continued existence of
books. Without doubt, the way information is exchanged will
evolve, but the book as a form of art will never disappear. Just
as movies have not replaced traditional theater, e-books won’t
replace traditional books.
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What will happen to the art of ex libris? The alma mater of the
ex libris is the book. It began as a mark of ownership and status
symbol for the first book collectors. While it began as a way of
summarizing the contents of a personal library, it later grew into
an independent style of art that spoke in a language of symbols.
The contemporary bookplate, in its best forms, is capable of
creating an intellectual, psychological, and professional portrait
of its bearer. Understanding the language of technical exchange
symbols used by ex libris enthusiasts requires an appropriate
intellectual preparation.
It is safe to conclude that ex libris prints will appeal as much as

other forms of symbolic expression have. This is evidenced by
the growth in popularity that ex libris exhibited throughout the
20th and into the start of the 21st centuries. Never once has the ex
libris had as many followers among artists and collectors as it
has today. Its growing popularity is further demonstrated by the
international meetings, competitions, and exhibitions.. The
elegance, depth, assiduity, and intellect that an ex libris print
represents is among the most amazing expressions of
contemporary art, while the universality of its metaphoric
symbolism transcends cultural, national, and chronological
boundaries.”
Gernot Blum is a collector from Germany.
“I should again remind you just how beautiful a book is, with
a suitable bookplate inside! As a dedicated bookplate enthusiast
I can also appreciate the bookplate for my collecting interests.
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It has a future and this has already started: new techniques such
as bookplates created by the computer (CGD), which, although
not original hand made graphics in the traditional sense – but
these can be accomplished works of art. In addition to this
aspect is the more affordable price in favor of these new
techniques and that allows young book lovers and collectors to
afford bookplate commissions.
The more recent international congresses of FISAE have shown

me three other developments that will influence the future of the
bookplate in a positive way.
1) I am surprised and pleased to note that there are a great

number of women in attendance, both collectors and artists. The
female participation at previous meetings has always been
somewhat smaller in number and often attending only to
accompany their spouses. So, the interest continues to grow.
2) At recent congresses there have been a large number of

collectors and artists from Asia, mainly China. The quality of
their bookplate engravings is at an extremely high level today.
(Whether these beautiful examples are actually used in books
cannot be determined).
3) The number of international ex libris associations continues

to grow. The international ex libris association of FISAE now
has nearly 60 member nations: The art of ex libris is not dead, in
its more than 550 year history there have been periods of
declined interest, but then it picks-up again and always
continues to rise. The aforementioned recent developments give
me hope that both the quality and interest will continue to grow
around the world.”
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Mario de Filippis is a collector from Italy.
“Thankfully ex libris in our day has not lost its meaning. It

has even more value as it contains an inner meaning and love for
its friend the book. The book is always our friend through our
times of moral and spiritual crisis. It is the lifeline that allows
us to look within ourselves and continue to hope for a better
future.
The wisdom of the written word is the basic foundation that

takes us away through dreams and brings hope for us all.
Perhaps the collecting of bookplates may sound crazy because it
seems to take us away from the original meaning of these marks
of ownership. But it also works to build our friendships with
artists and collectors from around the world.
The poetry of ex libris is ancient wisdom and certainly can

never be surpassed by modern technology.”
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COLOMBIA
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Mauricio Cruz Arango
(1950 — )
Colombia
MAURICIO CRUZ ARANGO is an artist and a writer from

Medellin. He studied at the Universidad Javeriana (Humanities), the
Universidad de los Andes (Architecture), the Universidad de Bogota
Jorge Tadeo Lozano (Advertising), all in Bogota, and the Instituto
Departamental de Bellas Artes de Cali.
Cruz has given lectures on modern art at workshops and classes at

various universities and cultural centers. His articles have been
published in various magazines and online publications.
“The specificity of an ex libris, as indicated by its name

(‘from the books of . . .’), is intimately connected to the book
and to the particularities of its owner. Incorporated into an
object that opens up and shows itself, while keeping its contents
away from prying eyes, ex libris are encountered with certain
unawareness. If this is considered, the ex libris constitutes a
form of expression that is, quite literally, ‘marginal,’ and whose
autonomy, paradoxically, cannot be separated from its
relationship with the book.”
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Beatriz Gomez de Moreno Triz Go
(1934 — )
Colombia
BEATRIZ GOMEZ DE MORENO TRIZ GO describes herself as an

artist, an editorial designer, and a photographer. She was born in
Bogota. Her father, Ricardo Gomez Campuzano, was an important
artist and inspired her to pursue her creative interests.
Gomez studied at the University of Western Ontario, and the

Conservatorio Nacional de Musica in Lima. She continued her
education with in the arts program at the Universidad de los Andes,
where her artistic studies included drawing, painting, engraving,
photography, and botanical illustration.
Today she teaches and has been an active participant in 70 group

exhibitions and nearly 20 solo exhibitions.
“The idea of working with ex libris was introduced to me in

2000, through participation with the Latin American League of
Artists. We were asked to translate creative feelings of our
surroundings and daily events into ex libris designs. These
concepts were to be developed into small format prints.”
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AUSTRALIA
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David Frazer
(1966 — )
Australia
DAVID FRAZER works in painting, wood engraving, etching,

lithography, and bronze. He has contributed greatly to the rebirth of
the Australian Ex Libris movement. He has been known to produce
thirty wood-engraved bookplates in eighteen months.
“I was good at making cartoons as a kid and in a way I see

bookplates as the same. You have to capture the essence of
someone. What interests me more in a bookplate than a graphic
display of the elements is the subject in the design often captures
the soul of the book’s owner.”
Frazer’s use of symbolism is simple but effective in creating the

sense of fun that permeated throughout his ex libris work. His artist
books can be found in all the major library collections in Australia.
“David Frazer’s ex libris are some of the most beautiful designs

I have seen in my life. They are very, very beautiful – an
enjoyment for the senses and the eyes . . . sensitively full of
strength and beauty engraved in a tree. He is really a great artist
and Australia can be proud!”
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BELARUS
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Alexandr Grigoriev
(1955 — )
Belarus
ALEXANDR GRIGORIEV is an artist whose focus has been

engraving, drawing, and bookplates. He has participated in
exhibitions since 1986 and became a member of the Belarusian
Artists Union in 1999.
In 2000, he began participating in international exhibitions and

competitions in the miniature prints category. Grigoriev won the first
prize for his ex libris design in the 2002 international exhibition
“Fire Motifs in Mini-Print,” which took place at City of Sanok,
Poland.
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Juri Jakovenko
(1965 — )
Belarus
JURI JAKOVENKO comes from a family that includes several

generations of artists. He graduated in 1992 from the Belarusian
Academy of Arts in Minsk. His classical education has influenced his
work today by giving him the foundation to express his individuality.
His works combine cultural signs, symbols, and myths that reflect his
own world.
Jakovenko’s first exhibition took place in 1988, when he was still a

student. In 1994 he became a member of Belarus Artists Union. He
has been with the Academy of Art since 2001.
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Vladislav Kvartalny
(1979 — )
Belarus
VLAD KVARTALNY was born in Minsk. In 1993, after finishing

drawing school he entered the Belarusian Academy of Arts in Minsk.
He graduated from the Academy with a degree in Graphic Arts.
Kvartalny has successfully participated in international competitions

and exhibitions of ex libris since 2003. His work can be found in
private collections throughout the world.
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Roman Sustov
(1977 — )
Belarus
ROMAN SUSTOV was born in Minsk. In 1995, he completed studies

at Minsk Art College and 2001 at the Belarusian Academy of Arts in
graphics. Between 2001 and 2005 he worked in the Academic Art
Painting Studio of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Belarus.
After his graduation from the Academy, he has been working in
graphics, book illustration, and design. He participates in many local
and international exhibitions and contests. Since 2005 he has been a
Member of the Belarusian Union of Artists (Department of Graphic
Arts).
Sustov has been working in this area of graphics for a long time. He
cooperates with many Russian and Belarusian publishing houses. To
date, more than twenty books have been published that contain his
illustrations. He is an ongoing award winner in the exhibition “An
Artist and a Book” and has taken part in the contest “Art of the Book”
(Belarus) since 1999. His work can be seen in libraries, museums,
and in private collections throughout the world
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Anna Tikhonova
(1977 — )
Belarus
ANNA TIKHONOVA is from Minsk in Belarus. She studied at the

Belarusian Academy of Arts and finished her post graduate work in
Theory and History of Art, Belarusian Academy of Arts. She regards
the creation of ex libris as a unique opportunity to combine literature
and art.
Tikhonova likes commissions from overseas collectors because they

give her the opportunity to experience different cultures. She says the
creative process is a game of line and texture, of white and black, of
light and shadow, of the miniature and the monumental. She likes
technical experiments, using all the classical printing methods such as
etching and engraving. Because she’s also fond of the effect of
negative film, she frequently works with black paper.
Tikhonova is the author of publications about modern Belarusian and

European ex libris. Her works have been published in Boekmerk
(Belgium), Exlibriswereld (Netherlands), AIE (Italy), Contemporary
International Ex-libris Artists (Portugal), DEG-Mitteilungen,
(Germany) and the Russian ex-libris magazine.
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Eugenia Timoshenko
(1980 — )
Belarus
EUGENIA TIMOSHENKO was born in Mogilev. She studied

graphic design at the Belarusian Academy of Arts and now lives and
works in Minsk.
“Art for me is a necessity, sometimes the only way to

express the things within me, and where words inadequately
express it. I think that it is a joy to be able to work at things in
life that you take pleasure in and get the chance to make it your
vocation. Happiness is using the art of finding oneself and
others, who in their spirit and sense of the world are closer to
you. My work depicts ordinary human relations, thoughts and
feelings. And it is important not to express it through words but
through symbols, numbers and coded details.”
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BELGIUM
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Martin Baeyens
(1943 — )
Belgium
MARTIN BAEYENS is a master of multi-color serigraphy (screen

printing) and computer design. He has created over 600 bookplates in
his 40+ year career in graphic arts and has won no less than fifty
awards internationally. His style can be described as jazzy and
abstract.
Baeyens seeks the challenge of producing a work of art on a small

surface utilizing innovations, contemporary design, color, and visual
content. The smaller scale leads him to abstraction and to the use of
fewer elements. When asked what makes a successful ex libris,
Baeyens replies, “It should meet the collector’s expectations. The
typeface and image have to go hand in hand harmoniously. It has to be
an artistically justified little print.”
“Rumbling about with ex libris is warm and human and in

addition to that it has a special cultural aspect.”
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Joke van den Brandt
(1937 — )
Belgium
JOKE VAN DEN BRANDT is a writer and a calligrapher. She is the

founder and president of Kalligrafia, a Flemish Association
established in 1987 that promotes calligraphy. Joke is also the editor
of the quarterly magazine Kalligrafia. She designed the 21st century
logo for the American Society of Bookplate Collectors & Designers.
“As previously noted, a bookplate is a mark of possession

and every ex libris has text in its content. One part consists of
the name of the owner and generally the word ex libris will be
included for the other part or with such variations as ‘this book
belongs to . . .’
From the very first bookplates onwards, there have been

designers who exclusively design these beautifully hand written
texts, and sometimes incorporating heraldic motifs or symbols.
In fact, calligraphic ex libris go back to the core: mentioning the
owner of the book. Therefore, it does not come as a great
surprise that in this era of renewed interest in calligraphy, the
technique of ex libris design has regained its rightful place.”
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Willy Braspennincx
(1947 — )
Belgium
WILLY BRASPENNINCX was born in Belgium in 1947. He studied

Graphic Arts at the Academy of Art at Merksem. He started making
ex libris in 1982 and has participated in many exhibitions both at
home and abroad. He has been honored many times. Nature and
music are the main themes of his work.
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Frank-Ivo van Damme
(1932 — )
Belgium
FRANK-IVO VAN DAMME has earned an international reputation

for his widely exhibited, award-winning work. He has engraved
nearly 1,000 ex libris in wood and copper. Many of his engraved
bookplates are of an erotic nature and highly collectible.
Van Damme’s fascination with world literature is seen throughout his

work. His interest in Greek and Roman mythology is always present
in his designs. He realizes the importance of the type style
complementing the illustration in the overall composition. Thus he
strives for a clever balance between these elements.
“Work is meditation. I become one with the block of wood

in front of me. I form an intimate bond with this material and I
lose every sense of time. Engraving is part of my life.”
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Hedwig Pauwels
(1934 — )
Belgium
HEDWIG PAUWELS is popular artist in the ex libris world. His

studies in the department of decorative arts at the Sint-Lucas School
in Ghent led him to pursue his interests in the graphic arts. Since
1984 he has concentrated on ex libris design, mainly working in
etching and aquatint techniques. Pauwels is well known for his
outstanding ex libris portraits.
“I was always interested in small prints and found the size of

ex libris to be a welcome challenge . . . . To this day I still make
ex libris and small graphics with joy and enthusiasm.
The client’s role is very important and rightly so in the making

of a bookplate. I always try to translate the client’s wishes,
comments, or vision and to involve him or her in the work along
with my own artistic ideas. This gives rise to a symbiosis that
often surprises me.”
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BULGARIA
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Robert Baramov
(1966 — )
Bulgaria
ROBERT BARAMOV was born in city of Tolbuchin. The early

years of his life were spent living in deep harmony with nature. One
can say that Baramov inherited his talents. His father is a sculptor,
his mother a painter, and his uncle is also an artist. Thus, his
upbringing was in very inspirational surroundings and a creative
environment.
Baramov studied graphics in the capital city of Sofia at the National

Academy of Art during the communist regime. He now lives in
Varne, one of the most important cities in Bulgaria.
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Peter Chinovsky
(1988 — )
Bulgaria
PETER CHINOVSKY was born in Sofia. He studied animation at the

Art College for Visual Arts in Sofia and went on to receive his
degree in graphics arts from the St. Cyril and St. Methodius
University of Veliko Tarnovo. He has experience as an illustrator and
creator of animated films. He is also actively engaged with
philosophy and literature.
“The purpose of the contemporary ex libris has changed

somewhat from its original use as a mark of ownership of a
book. It has become an independent graphic art form; however
unlike the highly abstract tendencies of mainstream modern
printmaking, ex libris prints have saved some of traditional
concepts in the composition and stays mainly figurative, by
which it has turned into rare satisfaction for connoisseurs of
classical art.
As artists try to stay competitive with their contemporaries they

are starting to introduce inevitable innovations to this artistic
area; also, as in the case of technology-the increasing presence
of modern art is only expanding the interest in ex libris as form
of art.”
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Veselin Damyanov-ves
(1977 — )
Bulgaria
VESELIN DAMYANOV-VES is an award winning ex libris artist.

He uses mixed media techniques in the creation of his designs. His
background in the arts dates back to his studies in high school. In
2004, he graduated from the St. Cyril and St. Methodius University of
Veliko Tarnovo with a Master Degree in Fine Arts.
Since 2000, Damyanov-ves has participated in several solo

exhibitions and has been widely recognized throughout the bookplate
community. He became a member of the Union of Bulgarian Artists in
2004 and today he lives in Sliven, Bulgaria.
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Julian Jordanov
(1965 — )
Bulgaria
JULIAN JORDANOV was born in Lovech. In 1995, he graduated

with a Master of Fine Arts degree from the National Academy of Art
in Sofia. He has had over 15 individual exhibitions and received
more than 10 prizes for his graphics. He presently lives and works in
Sofia.
“To the artist the process of creating an ex libris is very

interesting and very exciting. He usually has to do his
“homework” on a given topic – a topic which is frequently from
a less familiar or even completely unfamiliar area of life or art.
This makes us more than artists – we become scholars and
explorers. It is an adventure in which we remember forgotten
knowledge and make new discoveries, which brings us back to
the joyful curiosity of childhood.
Creating an ex libris is a wonderful opportunity to communicate

with many people from all over the world – different people
from different countries and cultures. These interesting contacts
expand my horizons and make me feel like a citizen of the
world.”
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Onnik Karanfilian
(1963 — )
Bulgaria
ONNIK KARANFILIAN is a painter, sculptor, illustrator, and

printmaker from Sliven. He holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from
the National Academy of Art in Sofia. Karanfilian is a member of the
Union of Bulgarian Artists and a founder of the International Exlibris
Center in Sofia.
“For 21 stcentury ex libris design there has to be an idea, a

mark, an emblem of the owner of the library. Most bookplates
are small sized prints with some idea and text. I have created
original bookplates like stamps or prints to be affixed into
books. Typically, these are printed in editions of 1000-3000
press runs. These are real bookplates.”
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Hristo Kerin
(1966 — )
Bulgaria
HRISTO KERIN began working in the graphic arts field in 1995. He

earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1992 from the St. Cyril and
St. Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo, where he is presently a
Fine Arts faculty member.
Kerin’s work in graphic arts includes miniature prints, ex libris, and

illustrations. He has been an active participant in graphic exhibitions
at the international level since 1996.
“When I entered the beautiful world of ex libris I met many

important artists, collectors & connoisseurs. I soon realized that
ex libris design was a huge part of contemporary graphic art,
with lots of peculiar, high requirements and challenges for the
artists. The art of the bookplate is very popular all over the
world and a lovely way to exchange creative ideas.”
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Rumen Nistorov
(1959 — )
Bulgaria
RUMEN NISTOROV was born in Vidin, a port town in northwestern

region of Bulgaria. He studied stone lithography in high school. He
holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Sculpture from the Academy of
Fine Arts in Sofia.
Nistorov’s artwork is held in international collections, including the

“Grand Palais” of Paris. In 1997, he started to concentrate on ex
libris prints, using etching and aquatint techniques. He has earned an
outstanding international reputation and won countless awards,
including two first place awards in competitions in Bulgaria (1997
and 2001).
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Eduard Penkov
(1962 — )
Bulgaria
EDUARD PENKOV was born in Lovech. In 1981 he graduated from

the German Language High School in Lovech. Eduard continued his
studies at Technical University of Forestry in Sofia, where he
graduated in 1992. He is member of Union of Bulgarian Artists. He
has participated in international exhibitions, including 7 solo
exhibitions, and has received 6 prizes for his engravings.
Penkov works primarily in the field of ex libris, engraving, and

drawing. The quality of the workmanship that goes into the strange
mythological worlds featured in his ex libris put him in a category of
a high caliber graphic master. Today Penkov lives and works in
Sofia.
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Peter Velikov
(1975 — )
Bulgaria
PETER VELIKOV was born in the town of Tsar Kaloyan. He holds a

Master of Fine Arts degree from the National Academy of Art in
Sofia. He specializes in etching, aquatint, and dry point. His
bookplates have been described as surrealistic, often featuring
mythological figures. Velikov has participated in international
exhibitions.
“Ex Libris is a kind of very special small graphic to me.

Working on some theme I always try to interpret it from my own
point of view. Each design is something unique and I look for
the most appropriate colors for it. For this reason I often print ex
libris by two or more zinc plates utilizing several different
colors. The details are important too – in fact, this is essential
because of the specific size of the ex libris prints. The perfectly
executed works are a satisfaction for both the artist and the
collector.”
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Arkady Pugachevsky is an engraver from the Ukraine.
“As a man born in the first half of last century, it is not quite
correct for me to predict the fate of ex libris in the 21st century,
so please do not take my thoughts on this subject as the ultimate
truth.
So, I think the book is gradually (at least in part) moving toward
electronic media, and it is sure to affect the fate of ex libris.
Today the bookplate has greater significance becoming a
separate species of small graphics.”
Benoit Junod is a collector from Switzerland.
“From the start, I decided that ex libris prints were what I

wanted to collect. I shunned the ones which were too big, or
printed on bulky paper, or which did not bear a legible name of
a real person or institution – apart from a very few exceptions. I
do not collect free graphics.
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My ambitions were enormous: I wanted to collect the best of all
ex libris, from all periods, in all styles, and by the most
accomplished artists, and for the most interesting personalities,
with interesting subjects and executed with skill. Obviously,
rare plates were at a premium.
But once I had a fair range of antique and modern ex libris, I
discovered that there were contemporary ones too. Since the
mid-fifteenth Century when printed ex libris were born, until the
beginning of the 20th Century, bookplates were always made for
bibliophiles to paste into their books. With the appearance of
bookplate collecting, amateurs first exchanged their duplicates
of old ex libris, but soon ran out of exchange materials. So they
started commissioning a range of bookplates made essentially
for exchange rather than for pasting into books. Perhaps this is a
travesty of ex libris, but it is a delightful hobby that permits one
to ‘discover’ new artists, collect high-quality small graphics,
and build international friendships. To salve my conscience, I
decided I would stick about 10% of any bookplate edition I
commissioned into my books…
I never lost my interest in old bookplates, and still search for

them. Perhaps the finest I have found were in an album that was
given to me by a musicologist friend in Buenos Aires. The
album had been given to him by an elderly Jewish person who
had taken refuge in Argentina during the 1930s. Peter Franze
was a cultured person who did not collect bookplates. He said
to my friend: ‘Pass it on to a real bookplate collector, when you
meet one, later on . . .’ ”
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that bookplates haven’t been used much
since the fetish for absolutely original condition took hold
among book collectors. Nevertheless the Getty Research
Institute, where I worked as a cataloger until I retired a few
years ago, commissioned a number of bookplates, including
some by good contemporary American artists: Alexis Smith,
Raymond Pettibone, and Richard Meier, the architect of the
Getty Center.
This was an expression of pride on the part of a young

institution in the excellent books they were able to acquire. They
have stopped using bookplates, however, in part because of the
cost of paying for people to paste them in, and in part because
they are too easy to remove to play a real security role.
We collect contemporary bookplates out of respect for a

tradition that goes back to the 15th century, and because there
are excellent artists who work in the field. Also the fact that
bookplates at least formerly served a useful function (and
potentially still can) makes collecting them slightly less the
pursuit of decadent aesthetes than would otherwise be the case.
Ultimately there are no bad reasons for loving and pursuing

objects of collection: only bad reasons for turning your nose up
at them.”
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CHINA
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Xiaozhuang Dong
China
XIAOZHUANG DONG is a member of the China Artists

Association, the Vice Chairman of Chengdu Artist Consortium, and a
Trustee of Exlibris Research Institute of China Artist Consortium. He
is a Professor at the Art Institute of Sichuan University.
Dong has been an active participant in FISAE Ex libris congresses

over the last years. He is the owner of one of the largest private ex
libris collections in China. Because of his efforts the Xiaozhuang
International Graphic (Exlibris) Collection Gallery is rapidly
becoming the best medium for exchanging ex libris in China.
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Malou Oi Yee Hung
(1963 — )
China
MALOU OI YEE HUNG lives in Hong Kong. She has successfully

experimented with etching for more than 20 years. Her multi-color
and mixed etching techniques have produced exquisite works that
have been shown throughout the world.
Hung has created more than 200 etching prints and ex libris. Her
work has been collected by museums, received many awards, and
exhibited internationally. She is a founding member of the Hong Kong
Ex Libris Association.
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Mingming Niu
(1980 — )
China
MINGMING NIU was born in Beijing. He earned his Bachelor of

Arts degree at the Beijing Capital Normal University (1999-2003)
and his Master of Fine Arts degree at the Royal Academy of Fine
Arts of Ghent, Belgium (2009-2011). He works at The School of Arts
and Design and at the Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication.
His search for the best way to combine Chinese traditional arts with
Western modern art have greatly influenced his artistic efforts. Since
2004, Niu has concentrated on ex libris, working mainly in wood cut
and wood engraving. He likes to combine silkscreen printing,
woodcut and drawing, often layering transparent colours to creating
different effects.
Niu’s ex libris prints are held in many collections in China, Poland,

Belgium, Switzerland, Turkey, Mexico, and USA. His work has
received countless awards throughout the world. He is a member of
Graphia in Belgium and the Beijing Artist Association, and the
executive director of the Chinese Exlibris Association.
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Yanxiang Shen
(1939 — )
China
YANXIANG SHEN was born in Hebei. He graduated from the

Graphic Department of the China Central Academy of Fine Arts. In
2008, he served as the executive vice president of the 32nd FISAE
Exlibris Congress held in Beijing.
Shen is a professor at the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts, a member of

China Artists Association, and the president of the Exlibris Seminar
of China Artists Association. He is a recipient of the Lu Xun Prize
for Excellence in Graphic Arts. His work has been exhibited,
published, and awarded internationally. His magnificent prints are
held in museum collections, prominent galleries, and in private
collections.
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CROATIA
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Plamenko Cengic
(1948 — )
Croatia
PLAMENKO CENGIC was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and

Herzegovina. He attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Belgrade. His
artistic work is fashioned through painting, drawing, and various
graphic arts printing techniques.
Cengic has participated in over 200 group exhibitions and 40 solo

exhibitions at home and abroad, and is the winner of numerous
awards. His work is held in many collections in Croatia, Slovenia,
Germany, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Poland,
Belgium, the United States, and Mexico.
Today, Cengic lives and works in Zagreb. He is a member of the

Croatian Association of Artists (HDLU), the Association of Visual
Artists of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ULUBIH), and the Slovenian Ex-
libris Association.
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CZECH REPUBLIC
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Jirí Brázda
(1952 — )
Czech Republic
JIRÍ BRÁZDA was born in Teplice. He attended the Secondary

School of Applied Arts in Prague from 1967 to 1971. After his
graduation he began to work as a printer, and for two seasons
designed stage sets in the Krusnohorske Theatre in Teplice. In 1973,
Brázda was accepted to the University of Applied Arts in Prague.
For the following five years he studied in the Applied Graphic Art
and Illustration Studio under Professor Zdenek Sklenar and senior
lecturer Dr. Jiri Mikula.
Brázda, who now lives and works in Prague, is renowned for his
book illustrations and graphic art. He has been described as an
existential figuralist. His work has been awarded many prizes,
recently at the FISAE international ex libris exhibition in
Frederikshavn (Denmark) and at a competition of Small Graphic Art
Forms in Lodz (Poland).
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Jan Cernos
(1982 — )
Czech Republic
JAN CERNOS was born in Vrchlabi. In 2007, he graduated from the

University of Hradec Kralove with a Czech Language and Art
Education degree. Cernos works as a teacher at the Bozena Nemcova
School in Hradec Kralove.
Cernos has been a member of SSPE (Association of Collectors and

Friends of Ex libris in Prague) since 2003 and a member of the Union
of Visual Artists of the Czech Republic since 2007.
“I focus mainly on printing depth (etching, drypoint,

mezzotint, aquatint, engraving). I create bookplates and free
graphics. My sources of inspiration are mostly found with
women in all of their transformations and relationships. I have
interests in ancient culture, poetry, art nouveau, religious themes
and medieval mysticism. I am also inspired through reading
books and most of my graphics correspond to literature.”
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Josef Dudek
(1954 — )
Czech Republic
JOSEF DUDEK studied at the Palacký University in the city of

Olomouc from 1972 to 1976. Today, he works in the graphic arts
field creating illustrations with free graphics and numerous ex libris.
Dudek’s craftsmanship is extraordinary, and his printing on

handmade papers is impeccable. The women depicted in his prints
represent the delicate relationships between people, nature, and
technology. He puts his heart into every creation.
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Pavel Hlavatý
(1943 — )
Czech Republic
PAVEL HLAVATÝ was born in Prague. He is a painter and an

internationally recognized graphic designer. He graduated from art
school having studied painting, graphic arts, caricature and cartoon
humor, art history, and Czech philosophy.
Hlavatý took up graphic art printmaking in 1977. Since then he has

created over 800 bookplates in addition to numerous graphic
artworks and posters. His color etchings, which have been exhibited
worldwide, are recognized as being imaginative, sensitive, and full
of magic. He has received 50+ international prizes for his artistic
creativity.
Today, Hlavatý is an active member of various international artists’

and collectors’ associations as well as a contributor in their art
journals. He has been a member of Czech Artists’ Association since
he was 23.
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Günter Hujber
(1966 — )
Czech Republic
GÜNTER HUJBER was born in Great Losiny. He graduated from the

Technical University in Brno. When he began his studies, his first
artistic attempts included random pencil drawings inspired by his
colleagues.
Hujber’s first professional works were oil painted nudes and

miniature landscapes. Later, he incorporated elements of pure
symbolism and dreams. Hujber has designed nearly 70 ex libris using
engraving techniques.
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Vladimír Suchánek
(1933 — )
Czech Republic
VLADIMIR SUCHÁNEK is a graphic artist known for his book

illustrations and postage stamp designs. He graduated from the
Pedagogical University in 1954 and The Academy of Art in Prague in
1961. His work has been exhibited throughout the world.
Suchánek comes from a generation that played a crucial positive role

in the development of Czech art in the second half of the 20th century.
His graphic prints reveal not only a rich imagination and poetry, but
also a masterful command of color lithography, which is his graphic
technique of choice.
In the field of bookplates, Suchánek is a leading contemporary artist;

he has created more than 300 bookplates for collectors from around
the world. His work is represented in the collections of the National
Gallery in Prague, Czech Republic; the Albertina in Vienna, Austria;
the Rockford Art Museum in Rockford, Illinois, USA; and in many
other public and private collections in the Czech Republic and
abroad.
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DENMARK
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Per Christensen
(1936 — )
Denmark
PER CHRISTENSEN is a second generation pyrotechnics artist who

learned the secrets of creating colorful fireworks from the well
known Danish pyrotechnics artist, Adolf Hoffman. The Hoffmans
were circus owners for several generations and are responsible for
the display seen in the world famous Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen.
Christensen has made substantial contributions to the world of

graphic arts, book publishing and, of course, ex libris designs. His
colorful works have been presented in bookplate exhibitions
throughout the world. He has well over 100 ex libris designs to his
credit. He is a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Aarhus,
Jutland, and has a lifelong interest in painting.
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ESTONIA
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Lembit Lõhmus
(1947 — )
Estonia
LEMBIT LÕHMUS studied at the Academy of Arts in Tallinn and at

the Tartu Art School, from 1969-1975. He later became a manager at
the Applied Art Museum of Estonia and an interior designer.
In 1989, he began a career as a freelance graphic artist focusing in

postage stamp design and bookplates. Lõhmus has now created over
500 bookplates by wood and copper engraving, and over 200 postage
stamps.
“The bookplate is a decorated mark of owner identification

to be affixed to the inside cover of the book. Copperplate
engraved bookplates have been used since the fifteenth century. I
am completely dedicated to bookplates for over 25 years of my
life and have created them using almost all graphic printing
techniques.”
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FINLAND
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Erkki Tuominen
(1948 — )
Finland
ERKKI TUOMINEN was born in a small town called Vammala. He

has lived in Helsinki since 1972. He made his first personal
bookplate at age 16 and is the creator of over 200 ex libris.
In addition to being a designer and collector of bookplates, he is

Chairman and Editor-In-Chief of the Finnish bookplate association,
Exlibris Aboensis.
“When making a bookplate I underline the principle that a

good bookplate must always reflect the personality of its owner.
The bookplate pasted into a book should always tell something
essential about the owner and for that reason I haven’t worked
on generic or universal ex libris.”
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Heimo Virnala
(1943 — )
Finland
HEIMO VIRNALA is a graphic artist who was born in Karelia,

which is today part of Russia. He began drawing at age 4 and created
his first personal bookplate at age 15. This first ex libris was
executed as a linocut.
Virnala studied graphic arts in school, graduating in 1968. He

worked as a magazine layout designer for 7 years and as a package
designer for 30 years. Although his bookplate design work has been
occasional, he has already designed over 44 bookplates. He is the
designer of the 2012 FISAE logo used for the Naantali International
Ex Libris Congress.
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Cliff Parfit is a collector and author from the United Kingdom.
“ ‘Sir Bilxe’, Who’s he? Well, I have just read this

‘inscription’ on a child’s ex libris print, and it is, of course, a
mirror image of the words EX LIBRIS. The boy had merely
forgotten an important element in the craft of block printing, but
he had learnt that fine and ancient craft by making his first
bookplate, and will never make the same mistake again. Sir
Bilxe might equally represent the typical bookplate collector of
a hundred years ago as he sorts his Jacobean from his
Chippendale ex libris or puzzles out the Latin motto underneath
the coat of arms on another.
Socio-economic class, nationality, gender, politics, religion,

and all other divisive elements are lost in this friendly, non-
competitive, and entirely delightful hobby of collecting
bookplates. The art collector and bibliophile of former times
usually had large spaces at their disposal and could organize
huge private libraries and very long galleries of pictures.
Today’s collectors are mostly hidden away in flats or not such
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they may be, must find a place in one
small cupboard. After a lifetime of collecting many avid
collectors can house a very large and valuable collection in a
surprisingly small space.
In the arts, it is usually the priority to collect the work of

established masters and this is true in ex libris. But the scale of
the hobby is so vast that many lesser artists and ‘going-to-be-
great’ artists may get a chance with some more impecunious
collectors, thus providing an instant shop window for greater
and lesser collectors. This is the opportunity for young artists of
talent and clever designers to make a name for themselves in
this most news sharing of all hobbies.
Here I am proposing that ex libris associations worldwide offer

competitions, exhibitions, advice, and encouragement to art
students and children of all ages in making, exhibiting,
exchanging, writing about, and in every way using ex libris.
Naturally, the great collectors of our age wish to commission

work from the greatest artists of the time, but many would be
willing to gamble on the work of a promising young artist of
whatever age, giving some young person a thrilling early
challenge in professional work. Many wealthy and successful
collectors might be willing to encourage the continuation of their
hobby by sponsoring exhibitions with competitions for different
categories of students. Large monetary investments would not be
needed, but arrangements for the exhibitions might be made at
reasonable expense through local businesses, libraries, etc.
For prizes, young people might be happy to compete for gold,

silver, and bronze medals, and certificates of commendation.
Some associations might be willing to add a youth section to
their normal exhibition of ex libris, thus bringing in youngsters
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friends to find out about bookplates and
their uses. Associations that publish magazines might be willing
to dedicate a few pages in each issue to the work of children
and young people. Many go-ahead people in the ex libris world
might think of new ways of involving children and young people
in ex libris exhibitions, etc.
All this is not to burden teachers with yet more responsibilities
or young people with yet more homework! This graphic art form
can give young people a challenging and interesting introduction
to one of the world’s most fascinating and educationally
valuable hobbies.”
Derek Black is an artist and collector from United States.
“My favorite book factoid is that once upon a time, owning

a book was equal in cost to owning a small farm. Much has
changed since then, but history is often recycled into something
not so new. As for bookplates in the 21 st Century, I see this
simultaneously continuing in different directions.
Reactions to new technologies always make an older process

suddenly more endearing, especially as related to books. We
have seen this before. The tactile experience and ceremony of
reading a book will be dearly held by some. Others will be so
accustomed to newer technologies and attracted by the ease of
having a library at their fingertips, that their choice will be easy.
As e-books decrease in cost and become more accessible, I see

some changes ahead. We have already seen ‘exwebis,’ and we
will see e-bookplates. Paperbacks will increase in price and
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quality books will continue to
increase in cost and become more exclusive. Books will be
more precious with the higher cost of owning them and this may
very well lead to an increased use of bookplates.
Admittedly, I feel comfort knowing I can open my books and

read if the power goes off. But then I still have a landline phone,
too. Some books are functional, others go beyond function and
create an experience; there is need for both. But where will this
leave bookplate design?
Worldwide appreciation for the bookplate format has grown and

will only continue to grow, but how do we encourage interest
here in the Americas? Many of our societal bases of success are
measured financially. It is difficult if not impossible to make a
regular income from bookplate commissions, so the appeal is
not there. Artists here need to have health insurance, and can not
compete with the lower prices of artists from abroad. To
increase appeal, we will have to expand the definition of
bookplates as the Book Arts community is continuously
redefining what constitutes a book.
Many contemporary bookplate designs truly ignore the historical

function of the format, have become much more of a free
graphic, and this has led to much individual disagreement over
the importance of possible function. Expanding the definition of
what constitutes a bookplate will attract new and different
audiences, which will also bring attention back to the more
historical format.
While I do collect bookplates, I really am in this field as an

artist first. My collection is mixed and loosely organized. Three
international congresses have been the source of most
exchanges. Bookplates which artists have made for themselves,
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erotic designs are some of the interests
that immediately come to mind. These are not exclusive themes
as each bookplate is regarded individually. Some of the
historical artists I enjoy collecting are Frederick Spenceley,
Edwin Davis French, Lynd Ward and Frans Masereel. A lack of
duplicate historical bookplates prevents me from being able to
offer anything except my own work for exchange.”
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FRANCE
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Patricia Nik-Dad
(1951 — )
France
PATRICIA NIK-DAD studied at L’Academie Roederer in Paris. She

creates her popular and distinctive ex libris designs with various
etching techniques. Nik-Dad has exhibited her work in more than
thirty galleries and museums in France, USA, Canada, and Mexico.
She presents exhibitions regularly in Germany and Belgium.
“If there is a special theme for a commission, I incorporate

the different elements and make several sketches until I find a
composition that is satisfying. If not, I try to utilize the images
and ideas that come to mind.”
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Frédéric Voisin
(1957 — )
France
FRÉDÉRIC VOISIN was born in Paris. He lives and works in

Reims, where he has a studio for painting and printmaking. He earned
his Master of Fine Arts degree in Printmaking from the Camberwell
College of Art in London, England.
Voisin started his career as an illustrator for both book publishers

and advertising agencies. He has designed record album covers for
the music industry and computer generated images for Apple
Computers. He also worked as a muralist painter. He customarily
creates serigraphs, woodcuts, and linoleum cuts for his printmaking
designs. He has received worldwide recognition for his distinctive
prints, paintings, sculptures, and exotic tribal masks.
“I was absolutely amazed by the prolific work by so many

distinguished artists of the bookplate. This inspired me to create
a series of linoleum cuts called VANITAS. ‘Vanities’ is a theme
in art that was in fashion in the XVII century and a number of
painters and masters of drawing worked with this theme. Most
of the time these represent a still life with elements that
symbolize the vanity of life—burning candles, dead flowers, old
books and skulls.”
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GERMANY
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Erhard Beitz
(1955 — )
Germany
ERHARD BEITZ is a graphic artist and a photographer. He was born

in Berlin and today lives in Oranienburg. Since 1991, he has
participated in nearly 200 international events – art exhibitions and
competitions – and won many prestigious awards.
Beitz is widely recognized for his sophisticated small graphics,

mostly ex libris prints, that are the result of extraordinary
craftsmanship. His prints, which can be described as highly detailed
fantasy, are full of whimsical machines, buildings, and animals. He
works primarily with a combination of etching and engraving.
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Regina Franke
(1953 — )
Germany
REGINA FRANKE was born in Zwickau. Franke is a graphic artist

who works primarily with techniques of drawing, etching, and
lithography.
Franke became a member of the German Ex Libris Society in 2001.

She has participated in numerous exhibitions at home and abroad.
Her work is displayed in public spaces (museums, galleries, etc.)
and private collections throughout Europe.
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Harry Jürgens
(1949 — )
Germany
HARRY JÜRGENS lives and works in Leipzig, Germany today.

Born in Estonia, he studied at the State Cultural Institute in Tallinn.
Jürgens primarily works as a book artist and illustrator for many

publishing houses. He began to create ex libris during his student
years in the late 1970s. Between 1980 and 1983 he was a student of
Professor Kapr, who influenced his imaginative, surrealistic themes.
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Marlene Neumann
(1951 — )
Germany
MARLENE NEUMANN lives in Reutlingen. Her preferred

techniques are etching and painting in watercolor and acrylic.
Her early studies in color theory and various techniques of painting

on silk led her to explore watercolor painting and etching, both of
which she studied in seminars and workshops. She has participated
in many international solo and group exhibitions.
“The graphic technique of etching caught my attention and is

the most successful for me in the combination of art and
technology. Here I can fulfill my love of intricate miniatures,
especially bookplates. This printmaking process is my absolute
favorite because it offers endless variations and has now taken
the lead in the creation of my work.”
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Klaus Sperling
(1961 — )
Germany
KLAUS SPERLING studied fine arts and graphic design at the

Ukrainian Academy of Printing “Ivan Fedorov” in Kiev and in the
Media Design Academy in Erfurt. His artistic career has been
enriched by his activities as a painter, designer, photographer, and
freelance graphic designer.
Aside from small graphics and bookplates, Sperling works with

watercolor and oil painting. Since the beginning of his artistic career
he has participated in several solo exhibitions, as well as various
international exhibitions and competitions. Through this exposure he
has received the recognition of many awards.
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Josef Werner
(1945 — )
Germany
JOSEPH WERNER was born in Graslitz / Erzgebirge. From 1970 to

1975, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich with
Professor K.F. Dahmen. Werner is a painter, a printmaker, and a
sculptor.
Werner has successfully used etching as a graphic means of artistic

expression. His seemingly simple designs are a result of great
technical ability. The imaginative creatures and forms found in his ex
libris are characterized by strength and wit.
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HUNGARY
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Mónika Dudics
(1972 — )
Hungary
MÓNIKA DUDICS was born in Debrecen. She studied arts-biology

and environmental sciences at the College of Nyiregyháza and
special education at the Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) in
Budapest.
Dudics’s artwork has been presented in worldwide exhibitions for

many years.
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Havasi Tamás
(1972 — )
Hungary
HAVASI TAMÁS lives in Nyirbator. He is a graphic artist and a

professor of art. He studied arts-biology at the College of
Nyiregyháza. He continued his studies at the Hungarian University of
Arts and Crafts and later earned his Ph.D. at the Eötvös Loránd
University in Budapest. He is a member of the Hungarian Fine and
Applied Artists Association.
Tamás has been a regular participant in international ex libris

exhibitions since 1996. He has received several awards for his
talented work.
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INDIA
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Rakesh Bani
(1974 — )
India
RAKESH BANI was born in Chhattisgarh, located in Central India.

He is a graphic artist who specializes in printmaking. He has studied
various aspects of printing and color etching techniques. Bani has a
Master of Fine Arts degree in Graphics (Print Making) from the
Indira Kala Sangeet University in Khairagarh. He teaches graphic
arts in the Department of Fine Arts at Kurukshetra University.
His ex libris projects depict a fantastic world built out of symbolic

and complex images. They are the result of an imagination influenced
by the mythological subjects, mysticism, and archetypal images have
always been characteristic of the artistic perception in Indian culture
and of a vast knowledge of graphic arts and printing processes.
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IRELAND
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Ries Hoek
(1938 — )
Ireland
RIES HOEK was born in the Netherlands. He moved to Dublin when

he was 20 years old and has remained a resident since then. He
earned a degree from the College of Art & Design in Rotterdam. He
studied under great teachers, including Jan Jongert, Wim Zwiers, and
Aart Giansdorp. After graduation he went on to work as a graphic
designer and producer of films.
Hoek handled the development of graphic arts for many large

corporations and for many years was a full time graphic designer at
RTÉ (Raidió Teilifís Éireann), Ireland’s National Television and
Radio Broadcaster, which is one of the oldest and continuously
operating public service broadcasting corporations in the world.
Today, Hoek works from his studio as a designer and artist. He

enjoys designing ex libris as well as painting animals and
landscapes.
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ITALY
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Ettore Antonini
(1952 — )
Italy
ETTORE ANTONINI was born at Venegono, Varese. After attending

the Scuola d´Arte Superiore applicata all´Industria del Castello
Sforzesco in Milan he worked in the field of advertising graphics and
illustration.
Antonini has explored traditional engraving techniques through study

and experimentation. The intricacy of his work tells a story that
draws themes from the world of poetry and fable. His bookplate art
has been presented in over 70 exhibitions and competitions in
Europe, USA, Mexico, and Japan. His talent has been recognized
worldwide.
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Vincenzo Piazza
(1959 — )
Italy
VINCENZO PIAZZA was born in Catania. He studied at the

University of Architecture in Palermo. His graduation in 1983
marked the beginning of his artistic career as well as his interest for
etching techniques. Following his first exhibition at the Exchange
Gallery in Bergamo in 1987, he studied copperplate engraving and
lithography at the Academy “Raphael” in Urbino.
Piazza began to create ex libris when he discovered bookplates in

1995. His work is often characterized by the graphic representation
of archeology, botany, and architectural structures.
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Maria Maddalena Tuccelli
(1951 — )
Italy
MARIA MADDALENA TUCCELLI is a graphic artist. Her art

studies included printmaking and engraving. In 1973, she worked for
the Philatelic and Graphic Arts Centre where she was given the
opportunity to create stamp sketches for the Italian Mail Service.
Maria’s approach to ex libris comes from this work as a professional
philatelic sketch artist.
Tuccelli’s bookplate designs are well known throughout the ex libris

community. She participates regularly in international bookplate
exhibitions.
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JAPAN
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Katsunori Hamanishi
(1949 — )
Japan
KATSUNORI HAMANISHI was born in Hokkaido. He graduated

from Tokai University in 1973. Since then he has lived in Tokyo. He
spent time as a visiting artist at the Cleveland Institute of Art, and in
1987 he spent a year studying at the University of Pennsylvania. Later
he became a visiting professor at the University of Alberta.
Hamanishi excels in a drypoint technique called mezzotint. Few

Japanese artists choose this delicate genre, which requires particular
concentration and effort. It goes without saying that Hamanishi is one
of a small number of high-level craftsmen.
The early works of this master were done mostly in monochrome, but
his later works have come to use a number of colors, and frequently
include fragments of gold and silver foil. Hamanishi’s trademark
element, seen in many of his works, is an ear of rice – the Japanese
symbol of prosperity.
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Katsue Inoue
(1941 — )
Japan
KATSUE INOUE has for many years been a familiar figure at the
congresses of the Japan Ex Libris Association and is recognized as a
classic artist of the present age. There is no formula for her
bookplates, they range widely from abstract designs to portraits,
landscapes, seascapes, flower fantasies, and anything that takes her
fancy or is requested by her clients.
Her beautiful multicolor woodblock prints are superb examples of

Japanese printmaking. She utilizes the traditionally meticulous
processes involved in cutting the blocks and uses the finest handmade
papers.
Katsue’s work is widely exhibited in Japan and is admired and

respected by her fellow artists. In 1981, she was elected a Director
of Japan Itagain – a professional association of Japanese woodblock
artists.
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Hideko Matsubara
(1952 — )
Japan
HIDEKO MATSUBARA was born in Harima, near Kobe. Matsubara

studied katazome, or dye stencil, which is an ancient, labor-intensive
technique. The craftsmanship seen in her plates has been much
admired by connoisseurs who understand the katazome process.
In her typical ex libris, Hideko shows joyous exuberant movement –

often that of children – dancing, leaping, flying. In a recent exhibition
Hideko produced a magnificent collection showing images of fifty
Bunraku puppets – all women. In Bunraku, which is the traditional art
of Japanese puppetry, female figures are mostly strong and
determined women.
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Takao Sano
(1941 — )
Japan
TAKAO SANO is a leading multi-color woodcut artist from Tokyo.

His prints have been exhibited throughout the world.
Sano gives demonstrations and teaches workshops to promote the art

of ex libris. At the recent International Ex Libris Congress in Finland,
Sano presented a talk on the art of Japanese woodblock printing.
Here he shares some valuable information:
For woodcut blocks, cherry wood was formerly used, but today,
a plywood made of Shinanoki or Tilia Japonica is widely
substituted.
It takes no less than two years to master the skill of sharpening
the special woodcutting knives on whetstones.
Printing is actually more difficult to learn than the woodcutting
process. Printing paper coated with Dosa (a chemical) is
moistened between wet cardboard sheets for about one hour
before it is used for printing. The “Baren” is the smallest
printing tool in the world. The paper is rubbed with a Baren to
make each print. It is this simple tool that determines the
technical character of the print. It would take no less than 5
years to master all the general skills of hand printing from wood
blocks.
To get better results it is necessary to print a second color over
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on the paper. For example, if you print
yellow on blue, you will get a delicate green, which makes a
better result than by printing green alone.
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Shigeki Tomura
(1951 — )
Japan
SHIGEKI TOMURA was born in the Aomori Prefecture. He studied

drawing and printmaking at the IWATE University in Japan from
1970 to 1976. Tomura has exhibited in many international print
competitions. Tomura’s artwork has earned many awards for
printmaking, including the prestigious Medal of Honor at the Small
Graphic Forms Exhibition in Lodz, Poland.
His fine, intimate scale drypoints and etchings offer spaces of quiet
contemplation where the viewer has an opportunity to pause and
reflect. His serene rural landscapes depict a natural world that has
not been violated by human development; perhaps evidence of a
pathway or a thatched roof in the scene. Tomura’s imagery of natural
landscapes is represented in his etchings as timelessly tranquil and
beautiful.
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Kieko Tsurusawa
(1942 — )
Japan
KIEKO TSURUSAWA was born in Hakodate City. In 1965, she

graduated from the Department of Design at the Women’s Art
University where her specialty was intaglio printing. After her first
solo art show in 1976, she was invited to have regular shows of her
work over the next 5 years. In 1983, she published a complete set of
bookplates entitled Hana no Shohyoshu. Her woodblock prints are
extremely rare and very difficult to find.
Tsurusawa started making ex libris in 1976. In the creation of a new

design she tries out several design and color variations before
deciding on her final concept to develop. The number of woodcut
blocks, the colors, and even the papers have bearing on the quality of
the prints. The typical subjects that she uses are influenced by
portraits, musical instruments, botanical subjects, Japanese lamps
and lanterns.
Her work has been shown in many public exhibitions; one of her
works was chosen for the cover of an American exhibition of
Japanese bookplates at the Arthur M. Sackler Museum at Harvard
University in 1986. Tsurusawa will always remain a major artist in
this field of the graphic arts.
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Jane Bultman is a collector from the United States.
“The Internet has made such a difference in the way that

people read, learn, and gather information that I can’t imagine
that bookplate collecting will remain the same. It may even
grow. Bookplate art always had a select audience, and today it
must be presented as a graphic art form to capture the widest
audience. I can see many possibilities in this field using the
computer. I imagine that fewer people will commission
bookplates without this impetus. Perhaps the e- book will open
to a bookplate, and take on more of the charm of holding a
printed, bound book.
I don’t think ex libris prints are still used as marks of ownership

to a very great degree at all. I enjoy to finding a bookplate in a
book, especially if it a custom plate. But I am told that book
dealers frown on them if they have no relation to a prominent
author or owner.”
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“Of all things, why collect bookplates? This has been a

question that I have been asked frequently during the years I
have been collecting. Looking back on more than four decades
of my devotion to this interesting facet of the graphic arts, I also
ask myself "Would you do it all over again?"
The answer is a definite yes. Not only because of the many

treasures that have accumulated over the years or the rather
impressive number of publications on bookplate literature that I
have produced since 1967. Primarily because of the many
people and friends that I got to know during congresses and
through correspondence with them by letter and, these days, by
email.
Speaking as a collector, books have been the most important to

me since my early days in school. Even now I find it very hard,
almost impossible to tear myself away from a book I am
reading. It is only natural that our tastes change. We may lose
interest in one or two authors, this or that topic, but the
corresponding book titles remain in our library collection.
Consequently this leads to the all too familiar battle for space on
the walls of our homes: book shelves, pictures, or furniture.
My interest in illustrated books was aroused during my

childhood establishing a link with art. Artists engaging in
illustrated books tend to progress towards free graphic work
too. In particular the immense expressiveness of graphic work
by Käthe Kollwitz and A. Paul Weber. Their social commitment
is evidenced in their work and has been a strong influence on
me. Up to this time bookplates had not been considered a
department of the graphic arts.
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True enough, already as a schoolboy I had asked a local printer
to produce a bookplate for me. This was no more than a simple
sticker bearing the rather ambitious inscription ‘The Library of
Klaus Rödel’ which was carefully affixed to the top corner of
my books. A simple rubber stamp or handwritten entry would
have been just as appropriate, but I started with a bookplate!”
Martin Baeyens is an artist, a collector, and an educator from

Belgium.
“An ex libris is primarily a work of graphic art. The

secondary function is for library identification. Throughout
history there have been changes. So in this age of the Internet it
does seem appropriate that ex libris prints be looked at as fine
works of graphic art.”
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LATVIA
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Natalija Cernecova
(1969 — )
Latvia
NATALIJA CERNECOVA was born in Riga. She studied at the

Latvian University and at the Art School in Riga. Cernecova has
created more than 250 ex libris since 1988. She is an active
participant in graphic arts exhibitions around the world. She has won
many prizes through competitions in the field of ex libris and small
graphics.
Cernecova is known for her superb etching techniques. Her work

features a unique realism combined with a feeling of romance and the
mysterious. She was awarded an Honorable Mention in the XXXII
FISAE Ex Libris Congress, Beijing, China, in 2008.
“Ex libris prints are small-size graphics. These are mostly a

concentrated essence of feelings. Its limited format joins in a
most mysterious way – not only the momentary reflections, but
also the testimonies of all times. The prints are the result of a
long and painstaking creative process. Ex libris designs often
blend the artist’s view and owner’s expectations. Bookplates
continue to fascinate people all around the world with poetic
beauty through an elegant design. This is accomplished through
refined details, harmonious lines, and masterly graphic
techniques.”
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NETHERLANDS
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Henk Blokhuis
(1936 — )
The Netherlands
HENK BLOKHUIS is a versatile artist. He is a graphic artist, a

painter, and a sculptor. He is a retired art teacher, and is now
prepared to devote full time to his art.
Blokhuis is recognized for his colorful linoleum block prints. These

have been exhibited throughout the world and have received many
awards.
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Elly de Koster
(1948 — )
The Netherlands
ELLY DE KOSTER was born in Terneuzen. She studied Graphic

Arts at the School of Arts in Eeklo, Belgium. She etched her first
bookplate in 1982 for a competition and since then has gone on to
create hundreds more. She has exhibited at many events. Her
competition bookplates always rank among the top designs and are
often included in catalogues.
De Koster´s choice of subjects is remarkably broad. She specializes

in nature, animals, and plants from land and sea. She also enjoys
working on designs with children, women and (also erotic) nude
figures, literary ideas (particularly folk tales) along with music,
theatre, and so on.
Color plays an important role in her work. Many of her etchings are
multi-colored by hand. These colors are carefully chosen to
strengthen the image.
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Peter Lazarov
(1958 — )
The Netherlands
PETER LAZAROV was born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. He is an artist,

wood engraver, and printmaker. He earned a Graphic arts degree
from the University of St. Cyril in 1980.
Since 1989, Lazarov has taught graphic arts and printmaking in many
countries, including Bulgaria, Japan, China, Canada, and Germany.
He is also the proprietor of the PEPEL press, where he prints limited
editions of fine press art books. Lazarov also studied woodcut and
printmaking techniques in Japan. His ex libris prints are exhibited
and collected internationally.
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POLAND
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Kazimierz Babkiewicz
(1951 — )
Poland
KAZIMIERZ BABKIEWICZ was born in Koden, Poland. He studied

at the National School of Fine Arts in Lublin and then continued his
studies at the Nicolas-Copernicus University in Torun. He is a
member of the Association of Polish Artists and Designers.
Babkiewicz works with oil painting, drawing, pastels, and graphics.

The most common themes in his work are the landscape, still life,
portraits, and the influence of old paintings. Babkiewicz has enjoyed
more than 60 solo exhibitions in Poland and abroad. In 2003, he
began participating in international ex libris events, where he has
received several important awards.
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Wojcieck Jakubowsky
(1929 — )
Poland
WOJCIECK JAKUBOWSKY was born at Starogard, near Gdansk.

He received his artistic education between 1948 and 1953 at the
Nicolas-Copernicus University in Torun. Since that time he has
worked with copperplate engraving.
In the early 1960s he began creating copperplate engraved

bookplates. These small, elegant works of art have brought him
international recognition and countless awards. To date he has
created over 1,000 ex libris.
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RUSSIA
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Yuri Borovitsky
(1955 — )
Russia
YURI BOROVITSKY was born in Chukotka. He studied at the

department of design of the Mukhina Arts School in Leningrad. He
started working in the sphere of poster art, while at the same time
mastering the technique of copperplate etching, specifically the
mezzotint technique.
His work is often characterized by dark, distorted forms, exaggerated

musculature, and imagery derived from myths and folk legends.
Since 1990, he has been a participant in exhibitions in Russia and

abroad. Borovitsky’s works are held in private collections
throughout the world as well as in various museums. He became a
member of the Union of Artists of Russia in 1992.
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Yurij Nozdrin
(1949 — )
Russia
YURIJ NOZDRIN was born in Klaipeda, Lithuania. He is a graphic

artist, painter, calligrapher, poet, and story teller. He received his
initial artistic education at the Astrakhan Art School for children.
Influences from this early education prompted him to further his art
studies at the Moscow State University of Printing Arts. He is
member of the Creative Union of Artists of Russia
Nozdrin designed and illustrated about 250 books while working at

various publishing houses. His preferred artistic technique is etching,
often tinted with watercolor. He has created more than 140 etchings.
Many of his works are in art museums in Russia, including the
Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, and in private galleries and
collections all over the world. He now lives in the Moscow Region.
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Vladimir Vereschagin
(1949 — )
Russia
VLADIMIR VERESCHAGIN was born in Onega, situated in the

northern part of Russia, in the Archangel province that is on the
White Sea. In 1951, his family relocated to Leningrad, now Saint
Petersburg. He has been drawing since childhood. In 1972, he
graduated from the Mukhina School of Art in Leningrad. He is a
member of the Union of Saint Petersburg Artists where he lives and
works.
Vereschagin has utilized various etching techniques to produce his ex

libris designs. He began by creating his first five bookplates, in
1975, on linoleum; then he tried lithography (three plates); and later
mezzotint, which he used for his well known deck of card series. For
exhibition samples he tends to favor aquatint etching with manual
painting. This makes his bookplates unique works of art. He has
participated in many international ex libris and graphics exhibitions,
winning numerous prizes and awards. He has designed over 300
bookplates.
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Oleg Yahknin
(1945 — )
Russia
OLEG YAHKNIN lives and works in St. Petersburg and is a member

of Artists Union of Russia. His art has been exhibited internationally
since 1972. Yahknin studied at the Art School of Vladivostok and the
Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture in Leningrad.
Yahknin is an illustrator for publications and literary works. His

work is regularly exhibited throughout Russia and is held in both
public and private international collections. As an honored artist of
the Russian Federation, he was presented in a solo exhibition to
commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Kyrgyz-Russian diplomatic
relations.
Yahknin is participating in a program that offers Master Artist

workshops in printmaking for advanced students at the Instituto
Allende Fine Arts College in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato,
Mexico.
“The bookplate is a small work of art incorporating many

qualities of large format art. The ex libris tells a story through
illustrations, and a variety of subjects embodied in the form of a
bookplate print. The composition and technical execution, and
the ability to compose images and fonts are all part of the
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content that vividly make-up the personal bookplate. This
includes the preferences and ideals of the owner, his profession,
and so on.
In the 21st century the interest in bookplates is expanding. There

are the extensive collections in different parts of the world.
Artists from different nations are creating bookplates for an
international clientele. It is becoming a major movement.”
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Vladimir Zuev
(1959 — )
Russia
VLADIMIR ZUEV is from the Sverdlovsk Region. In 1981, he

received his Fine Arts degree from the Nizhny Tagil State
Pedagogical College, where he is now a Professor. As part of the
Fine Arts Department, he lectures on classical drawing and
contemporary graphics. He is also a printmaker, book illustrator, and
member of the Artists Union of Russia since 1989.
Zuev utilizes mixed etching techniques on a zinc plate that includes

soft varnish, engraving, and aquatint. Sometimes he incorporates gold
ink (or color) from the second zinc or aluminum plate.
“The art of an ex libris today is for me a magnificent way of

communicating with artists and collectors of the world. Also it
is unique chance for my students to participate in numerous
international exhibitions.”
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SLOVAKIA
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Peter Kocák
(1961 — )
Slovakia
PETER KOCÁK was born in eastern Czechoslovakia, now Slovakia,

in central Europe. He studied applied arts at the Kosice Secondary
school. He went on to graduate from the Academy of Fine Arts in
Bratislava. His instructors at the Department of Free Graphic Art and
Book Illustration included Prof. Rumansky and Prof. Brunovsky. This
is where he started designing ex libris.
Presently, Kocák teaches drawing, printmaking, and calligraphy at the

Department of Art Education and Fine Arts at Presov University. He
is also a collector of Japanese ex libris, calligraphy, and books on
Japanese and Chinese art history.
Kocák’s beautiful etchings are known the world over. He has enjoyed
30 solo shows at home, participated in 35 group exhibitions in
Slovakia, and in 82 exhibitions abroad. Kocák also had 13 solo
exhibitions in Japan, China, USA, Hungary, Italy, Romania, and
Denmark. He has received several awards and mentions from
international print art exhibitions and competitions.
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TURKEY
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Nurgül Arikan
(1969 — )
Turkey
NURGÜL ARIKAN earned her degree in graphic design at Cukurova

University. She continued her studies at Marmara University and
earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Graphics of Advertising in
1995. Arikan teaches and is active in the graphics field, working
primarily with computer design and traditional printmaking
techniques.
Arikan shares her extraordinary talents in a program that offers

Master Artist classes in printmaking. These advanced student
workshops are presented at the Instituto Allende Fine Arts College in
San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico.
“In the 21 st
century, I think that the significance of ex libris art
will increase and it will become an important graphic arts
movement. I believe that it is necessary to create organizations
to expand the awareness of bookplates around the world. This
increased awareness will be better for artists and collectors
everywhere.”
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Tezcan Bahar
(1976 — )
Turkey
TEZCAN BAHAR was born in Bulgaria. In 2002, he graduated with

a Fine Arts degree from Anadolu University, which is located in
Eskisehir. In 2006, he completed his post-graduate degree at the
Ondokuz Mayıs University, in the city of Samsun. He pursued his
Ph.D. while working as a lecturer at the same institution.
Bahar has enjoyed many solo exhibitions in Turkey. He has also been
involved in over twenty international exhibitions and participated in
many national and international competitions. He has earned a total of
thirteen awards.
“Ex libris is a great sharing instrument for me. I like to send

my ex libris prints out for worldwide competitions and enjoy
seeing the works from others. I recognize ex libris art as an
important communication tool to learn about the culture of
different countries and to meet other artists and collectors.
Considering its small size and relatively inexpensive price tag,

it is a graphic art that everyone can enjoy. The interest in ex
libris will increase through the development of printing
technologies. This can be seen in Turkey where graphic artists
have embraced the creation of the art form.”
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Elif Songür Dag
(1977 — )
Turkey
ELIF SONGÜR DAG was born in Istanbul. Her undergraduate

studies, at the Doku Eylul University in Izmir, included graphic
design and animation. She went on to earn a Master of Graphic
Design at the same university in 2001. She completed her Ph.D.
degree (in art) in 2011, while on the staff of the Department of
Graphic Design at the Faculty of Fine Arts at Hacettepe University. In
that same year, she became Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at
Cyprus International University in Lefkosa/Nicosia. She has been
teaching illustration since 2005.
Songür Dag has been active in the world of ex libris for many years
and is a well known participant in international events. Her animated
films are seen in film festivals throughout Turkey, including the
Ankara Film Festival, the Izmir Short Film Festival, and the Istanbul
Animation Festival. Her work appears in many national and
international exhibitions, children’s books, web sites, and others.
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Hasip Pektas
(1953 — )
Turkey
HASIP PEKTAS was born in Ermenek, Karaman. He graduated from

the Gazi Teacher Training Institute and has worked as an Art Teacher
in both Teacher Training Colleges and High Schools. From 1987 to
2007, he worked as a Professor in the Department of Graphic Design
at the Faculty of Fine Arts at Hacettepe University. Today, he works
as a Professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts at Isik University in
Istanbul. He is the Chair of the Graphic Arts and Graphic Design
Department at the school.
Pektas has avidly promoted the art of ex libris in Turkey. His

enthusiasm prompted him to establish the Istanbul Exlibris Society.
He was one of the first Turkish graphic artists to design bookplates
and has written a book titled Ex-libris. He has participated in twenty-
three solo exhibitions as well as some group exhibitions. He has also
presented several workshops about ex libris art.
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UKRAINE
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Ruslan Agirba
(1957 — )
Ukraine
RUSLAN AGIRBA was born in Batumi, Georgia. He graduated from

the graphics department of the Ukrainian Polygraphic Institute. He
works in graphic design and printmaking.
Agirba has participated in more than 135 international exhibitions of

free graphics and ex libris art in Belgium, Italy, Canada, France,
Netherlands, Sweden, and other countries. He has won more than 30
international awards.
“The most interesting and noticeable events take place and

will always take place in the name of love or because of it.”
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Konstantin Antioukhin
(1965 — )
Ukraine
KONSTANTIN ANTIOUKHIN was born in Kiev. He pursued his

studies in the arts and graduated from the State School of Fine Arts,
where he learned drawing and painting. Today he works in painting,
printmaking, bookplate design, and free graphics. His preferred
technique is etching.
Antioukhin’s engravings and bookplates have been exhibited at ex

libris exhibitions throughout the world; the Pavlovsky Art and Craft
Gallery in Utrecht, Netherlands; the Holland Art Fair in Hague,
Netherlands; and many more.
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David Bekker
(1940 — )
Ukraine
DAVID BEKKER was born in Odessa. He is a painter, graphic

artist, printmaker, book illustrator, and ex libris artist. He studied at
the Odessa Art College and learned painting at the Art Institute of
Kharkov. David is currently a member of the Union Artists of
Ukraine.
In the mid-1960s Bekker began exploring with pictures, drawings,

engravings, and lithographs. In 1968 he created his first bookplates
based on linoleum cuts. Over the next decade he developed his
interests in “drypoint etching” techniques. Today, he concentrates on
the creation of bookplates.
He is recognized worldwide for his unique talents in engraving and

lithography. His works have been displayed in the Pushkin Fine Arts
Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia; the International Ex Libris Centre,
Sint Niklaas, Belgium; and The Book Museum, Hague, Netherlands.
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Oleg Denisenko
(1961 — )
Ukraine
OLEG DENISENKO was born in Kiev. He graduated from Ukrainian

Academy of Printing with a speciality in Graphic Design. Today he is
active in printmaking, painting, sculpture, and artist books. In
addition to this work, he is a calligrapher, author, and sculptor. The
Ex Libris Museum has accumulated the largest collection of
Denisenko etchings.
Denisenko was a laureate at the World of Ex-libris initiative in 1994.

He was one of the 1,200 artists from 63 countries that competed in
the largest event of its kind in the field of applied graphic arts.
“The magic of black and white touches the heart. It is very

real . . . it is forever . . . . The wish to comprehend the absolute
truth is so desirable, but so unattainable. Only when we touch it
is hope born again . . . . Finally the puzzle will be solved.”
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Vasyl Fenchak
(1968 — )
Ukraine
VASYL FENCHAK was born in the Transcarpathian region of the

Ukraine. In 1987, he graduated from the School of the Applied Art in
Uzhgorod. Later on, he pursued his studies at the Lviv Academy of
Printing in Kiev, graduating in 1995. He is a member of the German
Association of Exlibris. He is an easel painter and a graphic artist.
He has also done wall paintings as part of interior design.
He has been active in numerous international exhibitions and

contests. It was in 1994 that Fenchak began to design ex libris. His
artwork has been exhibited extensively; many of his creations are
now in private collections in Ukraine, Russia, Belgium, Netherlands,
Japan, Italy, Mexico, USA, and many other countries.
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Sergey Hrapov
(1956 — )
Ukraine
SERGEY HRAPOV was born in Kiev. Hrapov is an award-winning

graphic artist who is involved in printmaking and book illustration.
He graduated from the Fedorov Ukrainian Polygraphic Institution in
graphic arts and is a member of the National Artists Union of
Ukraine. He has been designing bookplates since 1991. He has
participated in scores of international exhibitions, both solo and
group presentations.
Hrapov especially enjoys illustrating children’s books – peculiar

looking birds perching, courageous mice playing flutes, and smiling
faces that are exquisitely executed utilizing mixed etching techniques.
He has created unique ex libris for American author H.P. Lovecraft
and British author Roald Dahl.
“Ex libris for me is work and leisure. Finding self-

knowledge, immersed in fantasy at perilous depths. While I
create a bookplate, I live in it, it becomes my world, my job.
Sophisticated and simple, heavy or light.”
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Konstantin Kalinovich
(1959 — )
Ukraine
KONSTANTIN KALINOVICH was born in the city of Novokuznetsk

in the Kemerovo region of Russia. He studied at The Ukrainian
Academy of Print from 1986 to 1992 and now resides and works in
Lugansk. He was selected as an associate at the Royal Society of
Painter-Printmakers.
Kalinovich has worked in the fields of painting, graphic arts, and

book illustration. He has been committed to ex libris design since
1985 and to date has created about 300 prints utilizing etching and
woodcut techniques. His ex libris are collected worldwide, both by
those who commission the prints, and by others who appreciate the
incredible skill and imagination he brings to this small format.
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Arkady Pugachevsky
(1937 — )
Ukraine
ARKADY PUGACHEVSKY was born in Kiev. He graduated from

the graphic design department of the Ukraine Polygraphic Institute.
He specializes in the fields of book arts and engraving. Pugachevsky
has participated in more than 50 international exhibitions and has
received 17 international awards. He is a member of XYLON
Ukraine, the Deutsche Exlibris-Gesellschaft (DEG), and the Society
of Wood Engravers (UK).
“My bookplates are made in the technique of engraving

(often multicolored) woodcut or hard plastic. Each color is
engraved on a separate block. It is through a gradual process of
getting the colors into perfect registration one color at a time.”
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Gennady Pugachevsky
(1966 — )
Ukraine
GENNADY PUGACHEVSKY was born in Kiev. He graduated from

the Republican Art School and attended the private painting school of
Victor Zaretsky, where he studied painting and drawing. He also
studied xylography with his father, Arkady Pugachevsky. He
specializes in the field of engraving.
Pugachevsky has received over 14 awards as a result of his

participation in more than 50 international exhibitions of free
graphics and ex libris. In 1999, he was elected to an Associate
Fellowship of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers (UK). He is
a member of the Society of Wood Engravers (UK).
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UNITED KINGDOM
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Leslie Charlotte Benenson
(1941 — )
United Kingdom
LESLIE CHARLOTTE BENENSON was born in London. Benenson

studied art at the Regent Street Polytechnic where she was awarded a
National Diploma in Design. She also received private instruction in
calligraphy from Anthony Wood. She is member of various societies;
the Society of Scribes & Illuminators; the Royal Society of Painters-
Etchers and Engravers; and the Society of Equestrian Artists. She is a
founding member of the latter.
Benenson works with engraving, sculpture, oils, watercolors,

ceramics, and calligraphy. Her bookplate designs typically feature
animals, especially horses and birds.
She has exhibited at many important venues, including the Royal

Academy in 1962 and the Royal Society of Painters-Etchers and
Engravers in 1968. Her work can be found in many public and
private collections, including the Towner Art Gallery, Ashmolean,
Hereford Museum, and the International Exlibris Centrum in Belgium.
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Gordon Collett
(1965 — )
United Kingdom
GORDON COLLETT was born in Isleworth, Middlesex, England.

Despite being keen on art, he began studying marine zoology at the
University College North Wales, Bangor. He is now an illustrator
and a muralist.
Collett has worked for several publishing houses and is one of the
founding members of the Association of Professional Muralists. His
ex libris designs are typically executed in pen & ink.
“I have many old books in my possession and many have

bookplates in them, looking like the shadows of former owners
sitting on their fly-leaf. So, inspired by the idea of a medium that
appeals to me as a bibliophile and as an artist. I made my first
bookplate in 1989 as a gift for a friend. Since then I have made a
few more, but most of these have been since 2007.
The computer allows some cleaning up of the image to make it

reproduce as close to the original intention as possible, but the
computer is not used to generate the design; they are all hand-
drawn images. I always provide the original hand-drawn
artwork as part of the commission, further adding to its
uniqueness.”
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Roy Cooney
(1935 — )
United Kingdom
ROY COONEY is a retired cartographer from England. Trained in

the historic craft of copperplate engraving, he has continued his
interests in engraving and printmaking with ex libris designs.
Many of Cooney’s commissions are family coats-of-arms although he

has created many pictorial designs. He also has special interests in
producing limited edition prints of natural history and architectural
subjects. In fact, the Royal Horticultural Society awarded him a Gold
Medal in February 2000 for his botanical engravings.
“Over the last ten years working again on copper has been a
source of great pleasure. It has also been an immense delight to
have made so many friends and, through participation in ex
libris and miniature art exhibitions, to have been contacted by
people from many parts of the world.”
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Andy English
(1956 — )
United Kingdom
ANDY ENGLISH is a graphic artist, book illustrator, and wood

engraver. He was born in Denver, Norfolk. English studied at the
Universities of Reading and London. He is a member of the
distinguished Society of Wood Engravers.
English made his first wood engravings in 1991 and went on to study
with the engraver and book illustrator, Sarah Van Niekirk. It was in
the year 2000 that he developed his interest in engraving bookplates.
He has designed more than 70 bookplates.
“Artistically, I am a miniaturist and the small scale and

precision of wood engraving suits me. My work is unashamedly
rural and autobiographical. I place emphasis on drawing as
preparation for my work.”
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Peter Ford
(1937 — )
United Kingdom
PETER FORD is an engraver from Bristol, England. He attended the

Hereford College of Art and the Brighton College of Art. He is
Executive Vice-President of the Royal West of England Academy;
Senior Fellow, Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers; Member of the
International Association of Papermakers and Artists (IAPMA).
Ford has been a Reseracher, Exhibition Selector, teacher of Art and

English, and is now the proprietor of the Off−Centre Gallery in
Bristol. Since opening in 1987, the gallery has maintained a focus on
contemporary art on paper. The gallery features art – on and with
paper – by international artists, including Ford. The collection
presents etchings, engravings, mezzotints, and artists books. From the
start, the Gallery has demonstrated Peter’s strong links with Eastern
Europe, particularly Poland and Russia. In more recent times Japan
and China have had a significant focus. Exhibitions curated at
Off−Centre have toured to many galleries in England, Scotland, and
Wales.
“The 21 stcentury bookplate is not one thing but lots of things.

The concept of the bookplate remains as a stimulus to the
making of a miniature printed image combining text and motifs.
Sometimes thematic exhibitions or competitions have interesting
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themes that can lead artists in new directions.”
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Hilary Paynter
(1943 — )
United Kingdom
HILARY PAYNTER is widely recognized as one of Britain’s

leading wood engravers. Through her involvement with the Society
of Wood Engravers she has made a significant contribution to the
revival of interest in this exacting medium. She illustrates books for a
number of publishers.
Born in Dunfermline, Hilary spent much of her early life abroad, in

China and Malta, and studied sculpture and wood-engraving at
Portsmouth College of Art. Paynter had a career as teacher in
comprehensive schools and later as a Chartered Educational
Psychologist. She combined this with intense and prolific wood
engraving. Now she is a full time artist and organizes the Society of
Wood Engravers annual touring exhibition, other events, and related
publications.
Hilary’s subject matter ranges prodigiously through dramatic

landscapes to domestic observations or acute socio-political
comment that may be subtle, serious, or fun. Her wood engravings are
held in many public collections including the Victoria & Albert
Museum (London), the Ashmolean (Oxford), and the Fitzwilliam
(Cambridge). Her work has been featured in international print
exhibitions in North and South America, Russia, Australia, Sweden,
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Peter Ford is a curator and engraver from the UK.
“The 21 st
century bookplate is not one thing but lots of things.
The concept of the bookplate remains as a stimulus to the
making of a miniature printed image combining text and motifs.
Sometimes thematic exhibitions or competitions have interesting
themes that can lead artists in new directions.
As a ‘mainstream’ artist only now and again dipping into the

(under)world of the contemporary bookplate I am glad that this
international network of artists and collectors exists though it
has only tenuous connections with contemporary visual art.
Some artists specializing in this field have developed
exceptional technical virtuosity, but it seems to me, their skills
are, at times, wasted on sleazy designs suggestive of adolescent
wet dreams. I think this element works against the acceptance of
bookplate design as a serious focus in graphic arts.
I have just completed a commissioned design for a bookplate

and I know that some of these small etchings will be put into
books in the traditional way. Others will be used as gifts. My
guess is that most collectors
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few bookplates in books but
otherwise keep their collections in albums and display them at
events where they can use them for barter and exchange. The
City Museum here in Bristol has commissioned bookplates for
different departments of the museum but none of these designs
have actually gone into books. They have become part of the
Graphic Art Collection. Possibly the concept of the bookplate
will survive for some time as a collectable item – and artists
will continue to make them whilst there are collectors who want
them. However most collectors in the United Kingdom have no
interest in contemporary designs. They seek out historical
examples – maybe they are more like antiquarian book
collectors than fanciers of graphic art.”
Heinz Decker is a collector from Germany.
“Starting at about the year 1900 the use of bookplates in

books as marks of ownership and the collecting of bookplates
went side by side. In the 1920s many oversized etched ‘luxury’
plates with decorative embellishments no longer fit into books
and were only designed as collector’s items.
Even though in the course of years the number of collectors

increased and the number of owners who used bookplates in
their libraries decreased, there are still people who use ex libris
labels in their books.
In the long run, I’m afraid, they will become less. One reason is
that more and more paperbacks are produced – and who wants
to stick a fine engraved bookplate into a book that costs less
than the plate. Also there are fewer bibliophiles today for whom
a bookplate is an integral part of the appeal of the book.
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And then, the character of private libraries has changed. Books
are more common and less valuable than they used to be in
former centuries. There is less danger of losing them or having
them stolen (of course unless they are a bibliophile’s books).
Still, some people I know continue to use personalized,
engraved bookplates in their books. Universal bookplates where
you write in your own name were sold at reasonable prices
throughout the 20th century and are still being sold. All this
indicates that the bookplate is still used as a mark of ownership
around the world.
How long, however, ex libris will find their way into books I
dare not prophesize. Perhaps we collectors apart from
collecting and exchanging them should always keep some to be
used for special books such as travelogues, biographies,
classical literature, mythology, etc.”
Thomas Duncan is an artist and collector from the United States.
“To me bookplates are an art form, as they are designs

having artistic characteristics, and show individuality. I have
developed designs for my personal bookplates, but I haven’t
found one that really reflects my interest in books and
bookplates. I am still working on ideas, and hopefully I’ll come
up with one that represents me! I have never sold any of my
designs, but have considered doing so when I have a good
variety to display. I have even considered printing some designs
in color. Many designs are monochromatic. Maybe I’ll break
that trend!!”
REVIEW COPY
TECHNICAL SYMBOLS
Approved by the International Congress of Ex Libris
To be used in identifying a bookplate’s medium for exchange
purposes.
C.........Intaglio printing (blank); blind embossing

C1........Steel engraving
C2........Copper engraving
C3........Etching
C4........Drypoint
C5........Aquatint
C6........Softground Etching
C7........Mezzotint
C8........Intaglio engraving on linoleum, plastic or non-metallic
surfaces
X..........Relief printing (blank)-Braille is in this category or C
X1........Woodcut
X2........Wood Engraving
X3........Linoleum Cut
X4........Relief-printed engraved or etched metal plates, notably metal
cut
X5........Relief-printed metal plates created for intaglio printing
X6........Relief-printed engraving of other materials, for example
synthetic ones
X7........(Chinese) stone stamp
L..........Lithography
L1........Autolithography REVIEW COPY
L2........Autography (transfer lithography)
L3........Zincography
L4........Algraphy
S..........Stencil, "pochoir"
S1........Original serigraphy (screenprinting).
S2........Mimeography (dye stencil)
S3........Katazome (oiled-paper stencil)
S4........Kappa (Katazome made with persimmon juice)
CGD....Computer Generated Design is an “original” design created
by the artist with digital technology. The signature of the artist on
the print is of particular importance to confirm the originality of
the work
CRD....Computer Reproduced Design a print effected by digital
technology
P..........Photographic reproduction
P1........Line Block, cliché
P2........Halftone
P3........Heliogravure, photogalvanography
P4........Commercial photogravure, rotogravure
P5........Collotype
P6........Photolithography
P7........Photo Offset
P8........Original photograph, hologram
P9........Serigraphic, photosilkscreen
P10......Etched steel printing (die-printing)
T.........Typography, letterpress
T1........Linotype
T2........Photoxylography, facsimile wood engraving
T3........Commercial rubber stamp
Y.........Photocopy this symbol was added to indicate photocopy and
xerography
U.........Technique not REVIEW
listed above,COPY
including Frottage, Chinese
Rubbing and Collography. This symbol identifies unlisted
techniques and methods of image multiplication
E..........Calligraphic
MT.......Mixed Technique
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Allen, Charles Dexter. American Book Plates: A Guide to Their
Study with Examples, Macmillan and Co., New York, NY, 1894.
Arellanes Audrey Spencer. Bookplates: A Selected Annotated

Bibliography of the Periodical Literature. Gale Research, Detroit,
MI, 1971.
Butler, William E. and Darlene J. The Golden Era of American

Bookplate Design: 1890-1940. The Bookplate Society, London, and
the Forlaget Exlibristen, Frederikshavn, Denmark, 1986.
De La Torre Villar, Ernesto. Ex Libris y Marcas de Fuego.

Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico, D.F., 1994.
Jones, Louise Seymour. The Human Side of Bookplates. The Ward

Ritchie Press, Los Angeles, CA, 1951.
Johnson, Fridolf. “The Art of the Bookplate,” American Artist. Vol

29, Number 5. New York, NY, May 1965.
Johmson, Fridolf. A Treasury of Bookplates from the Renaissance to

the Present. Dover Publications, New York, NY, 1977.
Keenan, James P. and Davis, Jacqueline E. American Artists of the

Bookplate: 1970-1990. Cambridge Bookplate, Cambridge, MA,
1990.
REVIEW COPY
Keenan, James P. and Davis, Jacqueline E. “Bookplates – A Modern
Graphic Art Form,” Antiquarian Bookman: Bookman’s Weekly .
Volume 88, Number 4. Clifton, NJ, July 22, 1991.
Keenan, James P. American Artists of the Bookplate. Cambridge

Bookplate, Cambridge, MA, 1996.
Kulmeshkenov, Serik. “Light House of My Life,” Ex Libris

Chronicle: The International Collector. Volume 1, Number 4.
ASBC&D, Cambridge Bookplate, Cambridge, MA, Spring-Summer
2002.
Barbara Goode Matthews, “Book-Plates: An American Woman’s

Hobby. A Basis for Friendship.” This appeared in The Sydney
Morning Herald (NSW: 1842-1954), 3 November 1936 in the
Women’s Supplement: page 17. Viewed 27 May 2012.
Parfit, Cliff. Exlibris Japan. The Nippon Exlibris Association,

Tokyo, 1982.
Parfit, Cliff. Golden Age Exlibris Graphics of the Art Nouveau and
Art Deco Periods. The Nippon Exlibris Association and Nippon
Koshotsushinsha Ltd., Tokyo, 1996.
Parfit, Cliff. “Katsue Inoue,” Ex Libris Chronicle: The International

Collector. Volume 2, Number 2. ASBC&D, Cambridge Bookplate,
Cambridge, MA, Winter 2003.
Roedel, Klaus. Royal Swedish Super Ex Libris. ASBC&D,

Cambridge Bookplate, Cambridge, MA, 2000.
Severin, Mark F. Making a Bookplate. Studio Publications, London

& New York, 1949.
REVIEW COPY

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Foreword by Cliff Parfit

CAM BRIDGE BOOKPLATE

First Edition (e-book, .epub, version 1.2) 2013

Cover bookplate: “Eyes” by Nurgül Arikan

One collector in Japan has made a superb collection of plates on the

The International Federation of Bookplate Associations (FISAE)

From an investment viewpoint, ex libris can be profitable – but best

Books bring me friends.

Though I telephoned at once, I was too late to secure it. Would he

In the Americas, James P. Keenan is promoting bookplates through

Bookplate by Peter Chinovsky.

‘The Absinthe Drinker’ by Belgium artist Tielemans (Art Deco).

Our society is the American Society of Bookplate Collectors &

BOOKPLATES: THE ART OF THIS CENTURY is a unique

Ongoing “virtual” exhibitions of contemporary works will always be

In this digital age of electronic images, gadgets, books, and the

An Abbreviated History of the Bookplate

Important artists have always been called on to design bookplates.

A bookplate not only provides evidence of ownership but also clues

As I never return books,

Steal not this book my REVIEW

It would be a good thing to buy books

If this book should dare to roam,

If you borrow, freely use it,

Steal not this book for fear of shame,

To accompany such written warnings, mottoes, and quotes one can

Techniques employed include the woodcut, wood engraving,

An exquisite bookplate can add both aesthetic and monetary value to

It was in 1880 that J. Leicester Warren first designated a

Although marks of ownership have been identified in early tenth-

Only a few hand-colored copies of the Igler bookplate are known to

At the same time Knabensberg commissioned this bookplate,

Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) executed at least twenty bookplates,

Beginning about 1525, copperplate engraved bookplates were

The Jacobean style is generally seen in bookplates designed from

By 1790, the Ribbon & Wreath style dominated. Simplistic designs

Wood engraved shield by Thomas Bewick (1753-1829) UK

A revival of wood engraving occurred at the turn of the nineteenth

As previously mentioned, copper is a soft metal, steel being much

Bookplates in the Americas

In the Americas, “fire marks” or brands were used in sixteenth-

In contrast, early settlers of the northern colonies, particularly those

George Washington used a motto on his bookplate, “Exitus acta

The famed techniques of British engraver Thomas Bewick were

In the United States, Sidney Lawton Smith, William Fowler Hopson,

Allen bookplate by Sidney Lawton Smith (1845-1929), USA

Newmark bookplate by William Fowler Hopson (1849-1935), USA

Edwin Davis French (1851-1906) was born in Massachusetts, Mr.

Joseph Winfred Spenceley (1865-1908) studied lettering and

Arthur Nelson MacdonaldREVIEW COPY

Collecting is a companionable occupation allowing one to meet

Unique to this art form, bookplate collections accumulate through the

Societies hold meetings for making contacts and exchanges between

Every two years a FISAE international congress is hosted by a

If you are interested in the research and collecting of historic ex

Bookplates in the 21st century

Many individuals and institutions hold membership in more than one

Inevitably, new members will experience a true revelation about

Commissioning Your Own Bookplate

It is not necessary to be a famous person to own a personalized ex

The ASBC&D maintains portfolios of contemporary bookplates,

The following section of our book is approximately alphabetical by