LATVIAN BOOKPLATE ART FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE 20th CENTURY TO THR EARLY 21st CENTURY – CONTRIBUTION OF GRAPHIC ARTIST DZIDRA EZERGAILE

Abstract

Book ownership determinant – ex libris – has undergone considerable transformations in Latvia – from flourishment during the second half of the 20th century to decline in the beginning of the 21st century. Artistic legacy of Dzidra Ezergaile, which includes not only graphic works but also several thousands of bookplates created in the course of a half century, leads to a better understanding of this process. Enormous interest in creating bookplates by professional printmakers in the course of a half century Latvia was secured by several factors. Alongside the broad audience among collectors, regular exhibitions of bookplates were organized by national Ex libris Society contributing to popularity of bookplates in Latvia. Not without encouragement of the teacher of the Art Academy of Latvia and a bookplate collector of global reputation Pēteris Upītis (1899–1989) many of the most talented artists of their day produced high-quality bookplates, among them Dzidra Ezergaile, Dainis Rožkalns (1928–2018) and Zigurds Zuze (1929–2003). Nowadays with increasing interest in ownership signs the bookplate regains its role in expressing visual identity of the owner of a book. Ex libris created by Dzidra Ezergaile provide numerous examples of vital transformations in the production of bookplates.