Black art. Masterpieces
Old prints from the Ossolineum
photographs exhibition

November – December 2016

Galeria Ossolińska
(courtyard entrance)

free admission

Confronted directly with old prints, the viewer can be often surprised that books printed over 300, or even 500 years ago can be in such good condition. One often forgets that the old prints are human-made artifacts, and the quality of artisans’ work led these treasures to be called „masterpieces of the black arts”.

The exhibition presents only a fragment of the history of the old book, recorded in the structure of handmade paper, folds of vellum, shapes of fonts, illustration techniques and covers – but it also presents its unique beauty.

Photographs: Roland Okoń
Text: Dorota Sidorowicz-Mulak, director of the Old Prints Department at the Ossoliński National Institute
Selection of objects: Dorota Sidorowicz-Mulak, Agnieszka Franczyk-Cegła