Atelier Mutel: Operating a Historic Press Established in 1793

The Kim-Park Program for the Study of the Book is pleased to present Atelier Mutel - Operating a Historic Press Established in 1793 with Didier Mutel.

ATELIER MUTEL traces its roots to 1793, making it is the oldest etching studio in France. From a historical and artistic point of view the studio represents centuries of knowledge and a very high level of handcraft production. The studio is well recognized in France and abroad for its highly specialized productions, which combine traditional techniques and contemporary innovations. Didier Mutel apprenticed to the studio in 1988, joining there his master Pierre Lallier who ran it from 1968 to 2008. The studio moved from Paris to the Jura and after 5 years of renovation its grand opening took place in 2014.

The workshop is equipped with historic presses dating from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Founded in Paris in 1793, the workshop represents a unique historical, cultural, and artistic heritage. Dedicated to engraving, it explores traditional techniques and transposes them into our contemporary world. With atypical prints and surprising formats, the workshop questions and contextualizes the practice. Research is ever-present and is coupled with a strong desire to pass on knowledge to a new generation. The workshop's main focus is to bring together, in the same space, techniques and works separated by hundreds of years. It respectfully and energetically revives processes once considered obsolete in order to create poetic works that resonate with our contemporary world.

Hear from Didier Mutel about his experiences from apprenctice to operator of this historic workshop.

More about Atelier Mutel: https://www.ateliermutel.com/

This event is open to all with registration and will be held in The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center in Regenstein Library.

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