What is book art?
Book art is an artistic discipline in which artworks are created that use or refer to the structure and form of books. Tradition and innovation often go hand in hand, and the results are always authentic pieces of art. These can range from traditional, classic bound books to bold feats in bookbinding and original book objects in which the concept of the book is explored in its appearance.
A century old
The book art degree programme was established in 1926 at the ‘Free Academy, School of Decorative Arts’, founded in that same year by Roger Avermaete, Frans Buyle and Joris Minne. In the beginning the school counted five studios, including bookbinding and binding decoration, consecutively taught by five female instructors, starting with Berthe Van Regemorter. This is peculiar, given that the book industry was considered more of a man’s world back then.
In 1928, the ‘Free Academy’ was renamed to ‘Vocational school of handicrafts’. Berthe van Regemorter became chairwoman of the Council of Management and was succeeded as instructor by Berthe Thieren in 1933, a graduate of the same art programme. After various name changes, the institution nowadays is known under the name of ‘Academy of Berchem’.
After Berthe van Thieren, the programme was led successively by Marthe Franck, Donatienne Van Den Bogaert and by Katja Clement since the year 2000, who herself was educated at this institution. Throughout the years, students and instructors have participated in many (inter)national expositions and competitions and have regularly won prizes, such as a silver medal at the World Expo in Brussels in 1985. Many students have become professional book binders after they graduated or have become instructors themselves.
More than an exposition
This exposition will be a walk through the history of the programme in 4 different locations in Antwerp: the House of Literature, the Heritage Library Hendrik Conscience, the AD Gallery and the library of the University of Antwerp. During the museum night on the 1st of August 2026, workshops and other activities about book binding will be held at these locations.
As a long-lasting memory of this 100-year anniversary, a unique publication will be released. It will explore the history of the training programme and showcase the many beautiful binding designs that were created.
Pratical information
- Dates - June 19 until August 30, 2026
- Price - € 8,00 / € 5,00 (ages 18-25) / € 0,00 (ages below 18)
- Tickets - Booking tickets is not yet possible