Museum of Exlibris and Miniature Books

About museum

The Museum of Exlibris and Miniature Books was established and opened to the public in September 1991.

The museum's main holdings consist of collections and thematic groupings of domestic and foreign exlibris, as well as a collection of printed publications and original materials on exlibris. The museum houses assembled and paneled exhibitions of exlibris by Russian and foreign graphic artists. The permanent exhibition includes examples of Russian exlibris from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, as well as contemporary Russian and foreign exlibris. In 2003 a permanent exhibition of miniature books was opened, which today comprises around 6,000 items. The collection contains unique handwritten miniature books of the 18th–19th centuries, editions by I.D. Sytin, F. Johanson, A. Duvan, editions from the 1930s and the period of the Great Patriotic War (World War II). In 2014 the museum opened an exhibition of micro-miniatures by A.I. Konenko (Omsk).

The exhibition hall regularly hosts exhibitions of book graphics and exlibris, works of decorative and applied arts, solo exhibitions by artists and themed exhibitions showcasing unique materials from private collections of bibliophiles and collectors; it also holds literary evenings, creative meetings, presentations of new books and publishers, runs book-lovers' clubs, and offers guided tours. The Russian Association of Exlibris was established at the museum, and the Moscow Club of Miniature Book Lovers also operates there.