Newsletter of the AEPM
May 2010
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
we are happy to pass on some new articles of our members.
Annual Meeting of the AEPM 2010
This year´s annual meeting takes place in Wadgassen September 3rd to 5th and includes the general meeting of the members and the election of a new board. You have received the programme by post, please sign in soon and numerous.
Leipzig
Search for a lithographic exhibit: stone with notes.
Robert Schumann’s 200th anniversary is cause for an exhibition at the “Museum für Druckkunst” in Leipzig in June 2010. The Museum collaborates with the “Schumann-Haus” in Leipzig. One topic of the exhibition is the printing of music, showing the various ways of music printing. The main stress is put on the techniques of setting, engraving and the copying of notes by means of lithography. But the exhibition lacks a stone with notes so far and a corresponding proof.
Which institution has such a stone in it’s collection or can give a hint. Perhaps there are some useful suggestions concerning the printing of notes in general, too.
Please contact Christine Hartmann: christine.hartmann@druckkunst-museum.de or phone 0049-341-23162-11. Many thanks.
Mainz
Retirement of Dr. Eva Hanebutt-Benz, director of the “Gutenberg-Museum” Mainz.
Dr. Eva Hanebutt-Benz went into well-earned retirement at the end of March. She was given a farewell by the mayor of Mainz, Jens Beutel, and the head of department of building inspection, preservation of historic monuments and culture, Marianne Grosse. Born in Hamburg Hanebutt-Benz was head of the museum in Mainz for 22 years and can look back on many successes.
Being a doctor of art history – her thesis dealt with the German wood engraving at the end of the 19th Century – she accepted lectureships at the Universities of Hamburg, Marburg, Frankfurt, Mainz and Darmstadt. After a traineeship at the “Museum für Kunsthandwerk” in Frankfurt from 1979 to 1981 she stayed there until 1987 as a curator for books and graphics (Linel-collection for the art of books and scripts .
Since then Eva Hanebutt-Benz was director of the Gutenberg-Museum, where she was responsible for many significant exhibitions such as “Printed Music”, 1995; “Gutenberg – Aventur und Kunst”, 2000 (in collaboration with other institutions in Mainz; “Languages of the Middle East and the Revolution of Printing” (in collaboration with the universities of Oxford and Erlangen , 2002; “The Pleasure of Pictures and the Fruits of Reading. The Illustrated Art Book, 1750-1920 (in collaboration with the University of Marburg; “Mezzotint”
(in collaboration with the “Landesmuseum Mainz” , 2009.
Eva Hanebutt-Benz saw to it that many projects were carried out, which the digitalization of the two Gutenberg-Bibles in Mainz (Humi-Project) is only one example of. Particularly demanding was the enlargement of the Museum in 2000.
Partnerships with the first Chinese Printing Museum in Peking 1997 and with the Early Printing Museum in Cheong-Ju, South Korea, 2000, could only be realized because of her exceptional commitment.
Prizes and awards such as the Award of the American Printing Historical Society accepted in New York, or the Palmes Academiques testify to her international reputation.
Hanebut-Benz has been member of the committee of the International Gutenberg-Society since 1987. From 2003 to 2009 she took on the job of the first chairman of the Maximilian-Gesellschaft, and last not least she was chairman of the Association of European Printing
Museums in 2003 and deputy chairman since 2004.
But a cosy rest is not in sight in the near future. She wants to travel a lot … provided there is time left because there are a lot of projects to be carried out: a book on »Book Culture in the 19th Century« which she wants to edit together with Monika Estermann for the
Maximilian Society, or books like »The Technique of Woodcutting throughout the Centuries« or »A Census of Wooden Printing Presses in Germany«. Beyond that she would like to write a description of »The History of Wood Engraving in Germany« in a popular scientific way. This publication would be based on her doctoral thesis.
Very grateful for what she has done for the AEPM and will do in the future, we wish Eva all the best!
The art historian Dr. Annette Ludwig from Heilbron will succeed Dr. Eva Hanebutt-Benz as director of the Gutenberg-Museum. There is more about her in the next newsletter.
Switzerland
Permission to print Umberto Eco’s »Von der Notwendigkeit des Büchersammelns« for the Offizin Parnassia Vätis Parnassia had a bit on the side from 5th to 7th of March 2010 to the Antiquarian Bookfair in the »Kunsthaus Zürich«. They packed their workshop to Zürich and printed on an 1869 Albion press, an iron press with lever-mechanism. The printing of Umberto Eco’s »Von der Notwendigkeit des Büchersammelns« was a special event during the fair. It involves 18 pages, set in 8° Centaur-typeface by Bruce Rogers, specifically cast for this book. The only 6 x 8 cm little book was bound in oasis-leather and was given a monogram of its future owner made of genuine gold.
The Offizin Parnassia is blissfully happy to have the permission to print this stimulating text. The little book by the world-famous author can be ordered directly at the Offizin Parnassia. Do not forget to set the monogram.
Including the monogram the costs are 33,- Swiss-Franken plus dispatch costs. If you are interested please contact Stephan Burkhardt & Hans-Ulrich Frey, Offizin Parnassia Vättis, Unterdorf 2, Postfach 110, 7315 Vättis. Phone 081 306 14 70. info@parnassia.org. www.parnassia.org.
France
Lyon. A workshop about the history of paper, printing and books is given at the training centre of the Institut d´histoire du Livre in Lyon from August 31st to September 3rd 2010. The subjects are:
1) Paper and Watermarks as Bibliographical Hints.
Course in English, chairmanship: Neil Harris
2) Typography: 1450 to 1830
Course in English, chairmanship: James Mosley
3) Introduction to Analytical Bibliography
Course in French, chairmanship: Dominique Varry
4) Commercial Art examined closely
Course in French, chairmanship: Michael Twyman
For more information see http://ihl.enssib.fr/fichiers/IHL_FR.pdf
Institut d´histoire du livre, c/o Musée de l´imprimerie, 13, rue de la Poulaillerie, 69002 Lyon – France. agermeyan@bm-lyon.fr
On a personal matter
It would be wonderful to receive more information from you. Activities such as exhibitions, courses, mailings, announcements, etc. We would be happy to publish them in our newsletters.
A remark from our treasurer: the notice to pay this year’s fee is about to be sent. Please give this matter a prompt attention. Some payments for 2009 are still to come.
Many greetings from Mainz.
Inge (secretary)