Printmaking Tales

“Printmaking Tales”, a project curated by Umberto Giovannini and published by Opificio della Rosa, is a bilingual (Italian and English) publication dedicated to art printing that takes an exciting journey through the history and evolution of printmaking. The book is not only aimed at a specialist audience, but will also appeal to those who have never had the opportunity to experience first-hand the alchemy that results from bringing ink and paper together through different printing media.

Split into eleven chapters, each dedicated to a different technique, the book features stories inspired by the people and events that have shaped the history of art printing. A unique feature of the book is the inclusion of reproductions of original works commissioned from 12 artists.

Each printmaker selected – Umberto Giovannini, Koichi Yamamoto, Maria Pina Bentivenga, Gianna Bentivenga, Giulia Leonelli, Ilaria Rosselli Del Turco, Marina Bindella, Ingrid Ledent, Nick Morley, Davide Reviati, Paul Dewis and Anonima Impressori – created an unpublished work that was included as the closing piece in each section of the book. The artists were invited to choose from a number of papers produced by Magnani 1404, namely Pescia, Corona, Incisioni and Pescia Editions as well as others in the Fabriano catalogue, to showcase their technique through personal experimentation.

The project is the result of a collaborative initiative between Magnani, Fabriano, Opificio della Rosa, the Printmaking studio and the library of Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, and is an opportunity to explore the fascinating world of art printing through centuries of artistic change and technical developments.