Museums of the Book !"#$% &'"(')( continues his tour of Europe with visits to some of Belgium’s key museums showcasing the history of the book arts.
"# $%"& '(()&"'#)* &+,"+&, I have described the Renaissance to the present. >e quality of a number of museums that specialize in printing book collecting displayed at the WiEockiana and other book-related topics. While travelling is exceptional in every way, and the hold- in Belgium, Holland, Germany and France, ings are unbelievably rich. >e guidance the heartland of early printing, my wife and of the librarian, or WiEock himself (he is a I also encountered institutions, businesses regular visitor to his collection, and if you are and people involved in more specialized very lucky will show you some of its gems), aspects of the book and graphic arts. Here is will add immensely to the experience. a roundup of some of these encounters. >e building houses a reference library that holds an extensive collection on the history -./0.1234567 819:07 ;7 -70<.567, and practice of bookbinding. >ere is also a -86==70= workshop, which oIers courses on@you guessed >is, the national library of Belgium, is located it@bookbinding. Incidentally, the collection in the heart of Brussels. >e library is strong also includes more than JKK baby’s raEles! on outreach, with an extensive public program >e museum occupies a purpose-built ranging from literary debates, musical events and structure that is a ?ne example of contemporary children’s stories to lectures on bookish topics. architecture. On my last visit I encountered an Two areas of the library are of special extensive retrospective of the work of Iceland- interest and easily accessible. One is an exhibi- born artist Erró (Gudmundur Gudmundsson, tion of old printing presses, which line the b. !FHL). It followed a recent exhibition library’s hallways. >e other is the Librarium, titled Les leEres du désir: Correspondance et a high-tech discovery space devoted to the création en Belgique, featuring the intimate history of the book, writing and libraries. It leEers of various couples from Belgium. features a dazzling and large-scale audiovisual Previous exhibitions have featured a wide presentation that is the best I have seen. range of artists and binders, including Philip >ere are, of course, ?ne books on display@ Smith, whose bookbinding on Vesalius’s these change every few months for reasons of De Humani Corporis is to me the most conservation. >e library is located in a very stunning binding of the LKth century. beautiful section of Brussels and maintained with On permanent display were works by LKth- a great deal of pride and competence. www.kbr.be century masters including Robert Bon?ls, Jean de Gonet, and a name I did not know, Edgard Claes, -./0.1237A: B.221AC.:D:, -86==70= whose work features exceptional design using Bibliotheca WiEockiana describes itself powerful geometry, exotic wood, polycarbonate as a bookbinding and book arts museum, and many colours, including automobile paint. and is indeed the only museum devoted >e tastefully designed museum features exclusively to the art of bookbinding. It outstanding artworks, including a H,MKK-kilogram is also my favourite place in Brussels. marble “book” sculpture at the entrance, made by A private museum founded by the Belgian the German sculptors Anna-Maria and Wolfgang industrialist Michel WiEock in !FGH, it houses Kubach. >e WiEockiana has a vigorous pub- WiEock’s outstanding personal collection of lishing program and some of its publications books, with notable bindings ranging from are at N-( Library. www.wiEockiana.org
!! #$%&'$ ($)*$ +$ ), -,%+$ +$../%$0, ('1..$). In the French-speaking world, the comic book has made a substantial step up from Marvel Comics. 2is museum chronicles the development and growth of the 3ne art of storytelling through illustration accompanied by text rather than text accompanied by illustration. A light-3lled art nouveau department store in the heart of Brussels’ downtown serves as this museum’s building, featuring both permanent and temporary exhibitions. 2e presentation starts with the invention of the comic strip and has a section that explains why Belgium came to have a dominant role in this art; the temporary exhibition featuring the British cartoonist “Posy” Simmons (especially her graphic novel Gemma Bovery) was brilliant. www.cbbd.be
)$ &456*',57$, ('1..$). Travel does not always go according to plan. Sometimes you just get lucky and 3nd a very interesting place or person by chance. In Brussels at Rue Américaine 89 you will 3nd le Book Sculpture at Bibliotheca Wi!ockiana. typographe, which advertises :;<=>?@ ?ABC B=CD( E
!" #$%&' (&)*+*', -./%, 012$3 took us to the largest pastry shop we have ever Farther a4eld, in Namur, is an unexpected seen. Incredible goodies! www.museerops.be museum capable of shocking and enlightening. It is the Musée Félicien Rops (!5""–!565). =)1>*2*3 ?+@&A&3.$), -*B',%13C As the name suggests, it is devoted to In the small town of Rixensart, we met the the life and works of the !6th-century nephew of the important Belgian bookbinder artist, caricaturist and book designer. Vladimir Tchékéroul (!566–!66D). A refugee Félicien Rops was a 4erce critic of the from the Russian Revolution, he came to European political and social system. His Brussels and took up bookbinding. His work most famous painting, Pornocrates, portrays shows perfection in all aspects of binding, a blindfolded and naked prostitute led by a and most especially in the use of gilding. large pig with three pu7i 8ying overhead. 9e A:er developing his skills, he became a title’s literal meaning is “rule by harlots” but teacher of the art and a writer on the subject. more broadly it refers to a political system His book La reliure: une approche spirituelle: where corrupt courtiers dominate legitimate manuel pratique (Paris: Art & Metiers du Livre, power and rule by corruption and deceit. !66E) includes an important section dealing with A:er !5;; Rops worked with French the quality of materials and technique, aesthetics, writers such as Charles Baudelaire, Stéphane elegance and personality. We were able to photo- Mallarmé and Paul Verlaine, frequently as a graph his beautifully cra:ed set of bookbinding book illustrator. Since Baudelaire’s famous tools. 9e exhibition catalogue Hommage à poetry book Les !eurs du mal faced censorship 7MBEJNJS5DIFLFSPVM DZǸǹǹmDZǹǹDz (Brussels: Musée in France, his poetry found a publisher in Charlier, !66") is a fascinating tribute to the man. Belgium, with title pages designed by Rops. 9e museum is located in a 4ne old house in F Ralph Stanton is Administrative Librarian the city centre, and its events explore di Binding tools of Vladimir Tchékéroul. !"