Exlibris Collection

The bookplate collection includes over 22,000 objects, which are small, graphic prints with a dedication in the composition field, which includes the phrase ex libris (“from the book”) or its substitute, and the name and surname of the owner or the name of the institution (e.g. museum or libraries). They are related to the custom of affixing such proprietary marks on the inner cover of a book that document membership of a specific book collection. This collection is associated with the biennial International Biennial of Contemporary Bookplate, which is the oldest cyclical artistic event in the world. During it, current creative achievements are presented in a miniature graphic. The first edition of the competition took place in 1963, when the then director of the Museum, Henryk Raczyniewski, and the Social Committee for the Reconstruction of the Castle announced a competition for an exlibris of the castle library. This became a pretext for the further implementation of the concept of presenting the achievements of the most outstanding Polish and foreign graphic designers. The collection consists of works donated by artists participating in subsequent editions of the Biennale. To a lesser extent, these are works purchased by the Museum and donations from collectors. The collection includes bookplates made by the most outstanding Polish and foreign graphic artists, including: Wojciech Jakubowski, Alina Kalczyńska, Jerzy Jarnuszkiewicz, Józef Gielniak, Yuri Borovitski, Jurij Jakovenko, and Robert E. Baramov.