ex-libris

In 1995, when international cultural and sports sanctions against Yugoslavia were lifted by decision of the United Nations, an exceptional series of five exhibitions of ex-libris were presented to the Belgrade public. The initiative was taken by the Swiss Embassy in Yugoslavia, of which the Chargé d’Affaires was Benoît Junod. The project was carried out in close cooperation with the Faculty of Applied Arts of the University of Arts of Belgrade, and close to 4500 prints were to be seen on the walls of museums and galleries simultaneously.
At the National Museum, a historical retrospective of ex-libris (or bookplates, as they are often called in English) was presented with some 600 plates from the collection of Mr. Junod. His collection, begun in 1972, does not contain more than about 40’000 ex-libris, but was built up with a strict criterion of artistic and historical quality, rather than a desire for quantity.
It is this historical retrospective which is shown here, complemented by a section on contemporary ex-libris by outstanding artists.
From a strictly utilitarian vignette to mark the ownership of books, the bookplate became since the 1900s an object of collection and of exchange between collectors. Although still pasted into books, ex-libris today have gained the stature of high-quality small art prints, avidly collected by several thousand collectors around the world, grouped into about 30 clubs and associations. Further information can be obtained from Benoît Junod at