In the village of Platanisteia, the Hambis Printmaking Museum this month welcomes two new group showcases. The first, Ex-Libris & Occasional Prints, focuses on prints affixed to the inside of a book’s front cover to indicate its owner, which are internationally known as Ex-Libris. From now until the end of the year, these prints will be on display alongside the Lithography and Its Evolution exhibition featuring works from the 19th century to the present day.

The Ex-Libris exhibition opens with a brief historical overview (16th–21st century), beginning with handwritten ex-libris and tracing their evolution, particularly in state and municipal libraries: from a simple stamp bearing the name of the library, institution or association, to the development of small printed bookplates pasted onto the endpaper or the first blank page before the title page. These include coats of arms (the emblem of an aristocratic family), names accompanied by mottos and/or symbolic imagery.

Ex-libris created using the techniques of etching, woodcut, zinccography and linocut are exhibited. Also on display are Sex-Libris and small-format occasional prints, such as original engraved Christmas and New Year greeting cards, as well as wedding invitations.

The Lithography and Its Evolution exhibition initially presents lithographs printed from a single stone (19th–21st century), both monochrome and hand-coloured using stencil or brush techniques. These are followed by the first colour lithographs – two-colour prints – produced during the second quarter of the 19th century, and subsequently by multicoloured lithographs, commonly known as chromolithographs.

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From the 19th century onward, many lithographic workshops replaced the bulky and costly lithographic stones with thin sheets of zinc or aluminium. The exhibition at the Hambis Printmaking Museum includes a fine collection of zinc lithographs. Photolithographs and offset lithographs are also presented, as well as monotypes.

The works come from acquisitions by the museum and from donations, presenting a unique collection of the evolution of lithography.

Ex-Libris & Occasional Prints

Group exhibition of etching, woodcut, zinccography and linocut print. February – December 2026. Hambis Printmaking Museum, Platanisteia. Winter hours: Wednesday – Sunday: 10am–1pm, 3pm-5pm. Summer opening hours: Wednesday – Sunday: 10am-1pm, 4pm-6pm. www.printmaking.cy

Lithography and Its Evolution

Group exhibition on the historical and artistic development of lithography. February – December 2026. Hambis Printmaking Museum, Platanisteia. Winter hours: Wednesday – Sunday: 10am–1pm, 3pm-5pm. Summer opening hours: Wednesday – Sunday: 10am-1pm, 4pm-6pm. www.printmaking.cy