There couldn’t be a better place to hold an exhibition dedicated to antique printing than in the city of paper. The Lucca Paper District today houses 140 paper mills and employs over 6,000 people, providing the bulk of the country’s tissue paper and a large proportion of its cardboard, yet the city also has a long and illustrious history of paper-making, stretching back to at least 1400.
Lucca also hosts a monthly antiques market that sprawls over three of the city’s main squares on the third weekend of every month. To celebrate 40 years of the antiques market, ‘Vintage Paper’, an exhibition of antique prints and books is being organised by the Lucca Municipal Council together with the Lucchesi Antiques Association.
“Books and antique printing have always been at the centre of artistic and cultural expression in the traditions of Lucca,” said alderman Moreno Bruni. “The love of art that unites many enthusiasts will find a new attraction in this exhibition that gives visitors an occasion to admire antique volumes rarely seen outside museums, and for antique enthusiasts it’s also a great occasion,” he said.
The exhibition is now in its fourth edition. Last year it enjoyed an enthusiastic response from book and antique lovers and the general public.
Dante Pieroni from the commerce association Conferescenti, said that collaboration with the municipal administration had resulted in diverse events this year that had revitalised the antiques market. “This is the third event, after Baloccando last April and Musicando last June that have met with great appreciation from the public,” he said.
For Maurizio Pera, president of the antiques association,“‘Vintage Paper’ is one of the most highly regarded events in the sector and Lucca is seen as a city of culture with a great book tradition and prestigious institutions such as the state library and the state and municipal archives.”
The exhibition will be held in the Agora cultural centre in the city centre on 15 and 16 October from 10am until 7 pm. Free entrance.