History and future of the museum
(from the press release)
Grand opening of the exhibitions - History and future of the museum
The Museum “Ex Libris Mediterraneo” (Mediterannean Bookplate) was opened in Ortona located in the monumental group of buildings Sant’Anna on 28th December 2004.
This event is to be considered both as a starting point and as a goal. The first contact between Ortona and exlibris dates back to 1991 when the “1st Bookplates Biennial Italy-Austria” took place.
The cultural association Progetti Farnesiani
and its President Carlo Sanvitale trusted in Antonio
Grimaldi, artist, and Remo Palmirani,
ex libris scholar and historian, as far as the organization of the
event was concerned. Until 1997 four editions of the Biennial had
taken place, but also other exhibitions dedicated to some themes
and famous authors, such as “Ex libris and book people”,
“Ex libris by Emil Orlik”, “Ex
libris by Oriol Maria Divì” and the competition
“Ex musicis Lutes from Southern Italy”.
In the meantime cooperation with Remo Palmirani
had significantly increased and he had become art director of the
manifestations and since 1999 programmes had been typical for the
choice of some themes as: national schools (Ukrainians,
Japanese, Italians, and Germans); Italian schools
(from the regions Liguria, Piedmont, Sicily and Friuli); great
authors (Albìn Brunovský, Bruno Missieri,
Walter Valentini); thematic ex libris (art bookplates,
Ex libris in the glass, masonry ex libris, erotic Ex libris).
Some of the exhibitions had taken place both at Palazzo Farnese in Ortona and at Rocca Sforzesca in Soncino (Cremona) thanks to the good cooperation promoted by Remo Palmirani between Progetti Farnesiani and the municipal administration in Soncino.
Many others were the cooperations in terms of double exhibitions: with Galleria San Bernardo in Genoa, with Artists club in Turin, with Public Library in Trieste, with school of fine arts in Trieste, with school of fine arts in Bologna, with Queen of Diamonds in Modica.
Among all the publications edited by Progetti Farnesiani on occasion of the different exhibitions, UTZ was issued for the first time in 2001. This was a journal about literature and bibliophily, founded by its head editor, Remo Palmirani. Nine numbers were issued and they will certainly be remembered also in the future thanks to the richness in cultural and refined themes and to the patient research of singular and never-before edited pages. (bookplates, papers, letters, drawings, engravings, ecc.)
With the passing of time, one exhibition after the other, Palmirani and Sanvitale thought of the idea of creating a museum as logical consequence of the work they had made until that moment. They finally could substitute a temporary even though prestigious exhibition place (Palazzo Farnese) with a permanent one, a real museum.
@ @ @
As you certainly know, Remo Palmirani died on 20 July 2005, leaving the clear guidelines of a programme which will be developed in the future with contemporary, historic and thematic exhibitions, with engraving and press demo labs addressed in particular to schools, with the organisations of seminars and meetings. The museum is seat of an ex libris collection the original bulk of which is a donation by Remo Palmirani, to whom the study centre with his name is dedicated.
Cristiano Beccaletto, who you sure well know for his many-years experience in artistic, organisational, editorial field, will be Remo Palmirani’s successor as art director of the museum. His competencies will include organisation, public relations with national associations belonging to FISAE and museums.
The Museum’s Board of Directors has deliberated the following:
a) The opening of the “Centro Studi Remo Palmirani”
(study centre) on 15th Oct. at the Museum.
b) Two new annual prizes, “Remo Palmirani’s
Prize for the artist” and “Remo Palmirani’s Prize
for the scholar”, have been created in cooperation with journal
“Ex Libris” edited by G. Mirabella, and with a sponsorship
by AIE and by Italo Zetti Foundation. Regulation will follow as
soon as possible.
c) In the next few months a publication entitled
“Per ricordare Utz” (To remember Utz) will be pressed
and distributed. Format and graphic will be similar to the original
Utz, so to remind of its Director Remo Palmirani.
From 30th November will be effective the Museum web site www.exlibrismed.it.
