The Imprint of Art: The making of books

What is the value of fine printing today? How is a book born, and what imprint does it leave on our lives? As part of its effort to preserve and revive the art of printing in Greece, the Onassis Foundation, in collaboration with the Telloglion Fine Arts Foundation, co-organizes the exhibition “The Imprint of Art: The making of books.” The exhibition invites the public to encounter works by major creators and to discover the creative dimension of the printing arts. The major exhibition opens on October 27, 2026, at the Telloglion Fine Arts Foundation in Thessaloniki and runs through February 28, 2027.

Unique in its scope, the exhibition brings together works that unite word and image within a single creation. Historic editions by Nikos Vozikis, founder of DIATTON Editions, now the DIATTON / ONASSIS Gutenberg Printing House, will be presented alongside rare bindings from private collections and works from the Telloglion Foundation.

A special section of the exhibition will also feature a selection of artists’ books from the personal collection of Anthony S. Papadimitriou, President of the Onassis Foundation, including editions that bring together major visual artists such as Georges Braque, Tavy Notton, and Maro Vandorou with important texts by Sophocles, Maeterlinck, and T. S. Eliot, as well as scores by Iannis Xenakis.

From the DIATTON Editions collection, the exhibition will include handmade books featuring poetry by Dionysios Solomos, Andreas Kalvos, C. P. Cavafy, and Yiannis Ritsos, as well as works with original prints by Greek artists including Giorgos Varlamos, Yiannis Psychopedis, Chronis Botsoglou, Michalis Arfaras, Manolis Charos, Aria Komianou, Yannis Stefanakis, and many more.

Departing from the conventional museum treatment of the book, the exhibition proposes an experiential approach to the creative dimension of printing. Trained guides, under the direction of Nikos Vozikis, will share the secrets of the printing arts with the public, allowing visitors to discover the entire process behind the creation of an edition: from casting type and using matrices to hand typesetting, the type case, inks, tools, engraving techniques, and printing itself. At the same time, children and students will have the opportunity to participate in educational programs and related activities organized as part of the exhibition.

Thanking the Telloglion Fine Arts Foundation and its General Director, Alexandra Goulaki-Voutyra, Onassis Foundation President Anthony S. Papadimitriou stated: “The exhibition makes it possible to present the art of printing, bookbinding, and the book more broadly as a vibrant field of knowledge.”

The exhibition is held under the auspices of H.E. the President of the Hellenic Republic, Konstantinos An. Tasoulas, with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and the Region of Central Macedonia, in collaboration with DIATTON Editions. Overall responsibility for the exhibition lies with Professor Emerita of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and General Director of the Telloglion Fine Arts Foundation, Alexandra Goulaki-Voutyra, while the exhibition is curated by art historian Dr. Miguel F. Belmonte.