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The Library of Congress has organized a special
exhibition of 84 rare, illustrated books from its Rosenwald
Collection, as well as related materials, that will travel
to New York and Dallas in addition to being presented in
Washington, D.C. The exhibition's first venue is the Grolier
Club in New York, 47 E. 60th St. at Madison Avenue, where it
will be on display from Dec. 8 through Feb. 5, 2005.
"A Heavenly Craft: The Woodcut in Early Printed Books"
offers visitors from around the world, including members of
the rare book community and the art world and book
enthusiasts and lovers of the graphic arts, the opportunity
to view an impressive group of books illustrated with
woodcuts from the late medieval and early Renaissance
periods.
The books on display were formerly owned by British
collector C.W. Dyson Perrins (1864-1958), heir to the Lea
and Perrins fortune, who sold them at auction in 1946 and
1947. Lessing J. Rosenwald (1891-1979), retired chairman of
Sears, Roebuck and Co. and a noted philanthropist and
collector, purchased 84 titles at the sale and was its most
important buyer. The books came to the Library of Congress
as part of Rosenwald's larger gift of illustrated books, a
collection considered to be one of the most important
private libraries formed in the 20th century.
Printed during the first century after Gutenberg mastered
the art of printing with movable type, this collection of
15th and 16th century books offers viewers an insight into
the origins and development of woodcut design. The
exhibition contains examples that illustrate changes in
woodcut technique, composition and coloration and document
the development of national tastes and styles as they
evolved in Western Europe. It includes woodcuts from German,
Italian, Swiss, French, Spanish and Netherlandish books and
highlights the printers, artists and artisans who mastered
the art form and contributed to this often overlooked but
important field of book and art history. Finally, the
exhibition explores how the artistic influences of
Renaissance painters, illuminators and sculptors transformed
the woodcut into a medium of fine art. Many of the books in
the display are on religious subjects and contain images
that reflect the dominance of the Judeo-Christian tradition
in Western Europe.
"A Heavenly Craft" is accompanied by a
fully
illustrated catalog that explores the themes of the
exhibition. In addition to full descriptions of all the
books on display, it includes scholarly essays by Paul
Needham, Lilian Armstrong, and Daniela Laube, as well as an
introduction by Daniel De Simone, the curator of the Lessing
J. Rosenwald Collection at the Library of Congress. The
catalog will be available at the Grolier Club during the run
of the show, at $35 in softcover, and $50 in hardcover.
The exhibition is made possible by the support of Mr. and
Mrs. Henry J. (Bud) Smith. The accompanying catalog and
related exhibition events are supported by generous gifts
from the Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies
(www.fabsbooks.org), Jonathan A. Hill, Ray and Lorraine
Perryman, The Berkley Foundation Inc., Donna L. and Robert
H. Jackson and The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation.
LOCATION AND TIMES: "A Heavenly Craft: The Woodcut in Early
Printed Books," will be on view at the Grolier Club from
Dec. 8, 2004 -Feb. 5, 2005, except for Dec. 23-27, 31, and
Jan. 3, when the Club will be closed for the Christmas and
New Year holidays. Hours: Monday-Saturday 10 AM - 5 PM. Open
to the public free of charge.
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