"Czech Exlibris 1945-1980" is the third show in a cycle of exhibitions the object of which is to present exlibris from the graphic design collection of the Moravian Gallery in Brno. The culmination of the project in 2008 has been scheduled to mark the 110th anniversary of the first exhibition of exlibris in the Czech lands. This year's selection differs from the previous two in the manner of presentation; as we had to take into account the fact that the period after 1945 involves fewer collection items than the previous decades. We decided to present series by 16 artists who significantly contributed to the high standard of graphic art in Czechoslovakia and its reception abroad. The 1945-1980 period mapped by the exhibition was the heyday of Czech exlibris, both in its home country and abroad. Since the 1980's, the number of artists dedicated to the exlibris genre has been decreasing; the descending tendency gained momentum, in particular, after 1989 when many graphic artists found other, more lucrative outlets for their creativity.
