Over time, ex-libris evolved from simple signatures or family crests to complex graphic compositions created using techniques such as woodcut, engraving, lithography, and screen printing. In Mexico, property marks have roots dating back to the colonial era and are part of the bibliographic heritage, as they preserve information about cultural practices, intellectual exchange networks, and the history of reading. Among the pieces in the exhibition, illustrations by artists such as Diego Rivera, Francisco Díaz de León, Fernando Betancourt, and Nunik Sauret stand out. The 'Ex-Libris' exhibition will be open to the public until March 22 at the Cenart Library of the Arts, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission is free. The Library of the Arts of the National Center for the Arts (Cenart) hosts the collective exhibition 'Ex-Libris,' a proposal that invites you to discover what lies within books through small graphic marks. The exhibition features prints and books showing how peculiar marks, created to identify the owners of the copies, transformed into works of art capable of narrating biographies, interests, and cultural contexts. Dated between 1961 and 2007, there are 59 works, 31 of which belong to the collection of the Mexican Association of Graphic Arts and Plastic Interaction A.C. (AMGIP), 13 made by artists summoned by AMGIP, who interpreted and designed their own 'Ex-Libris,' with techniques ranging from traditional engraving to contemporary graphic proposals, in addition to pieces from the collections of the Library of the Arts, Banco Nacional de México, Carlos Chávez National Research, Documentation and Musical Information Center, and National Research, Documentation and Theatrical Information Centers Rodolfo Usigli (CITRU) and Plastic Arts (CENIDIAP). What is an Ex-Libris? The term Ex-Libris comes from Latin and means 'from the books of' or 'from the books of.' These marks emerged with the development of printing in the 15th century as a way to identify ownership of copies. The pieces were composed of four main elements: a drawing or engraving that reflects the personality, occupation, interests, and philosophical or political tendencies of the owner; a motto or phrase that may or may not be allusive to the drawing; in addition to the owner's data and the legend: Ex-Libris.
