An exhibition dedicated to the 500th anniversary of Estonian-language printing, titled “Estonian Poetry in Estonian Bindings”, has opened on the 3rd floor of the Library. The exhibition offers an overview of Estonian-language poetry from Kristjan Jaak Peterson and Lydia Koidula to contemporary authors, presented in artistic bookbindings. The display continues the exhibition “Estonian Literature in Estonian Bindings,” which was held at the National Library in 2018.
The guiding principle of the exhibition was to bring together new bookbinding works by Estonian leather and bookbinding artists, created specifically for this exhibition. More than one hundred bindings representing 95 Estonian poets are on display, created by 32 artists. The exhibition has been arranged with attention to chronology, historical period, and the visual harmony of the bindings.
The walls of the exhibition space feature calligraphic texts of Estonian poetry by Rein Maantoa, as well as the full text of Käsu Hans’s lament from 1708, considered to be the earliest known Estonian verse work.
The exhibition was curated by Külli Grünbach-Sein, Maarja Undusk, and Eve Kaaret, graphic design by Piia Ruber.
