DIDIER MUTEL has been producing artists’ books and engravings since 1989. Born in 1971, he entered the Ecole Estienne at 15, then studied at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, and continued his studies at the l’Atelier National de Création Typographique à l’Imprimerie Nationale. From 1997 to 1999, Didier Mutel was in residence at the Villa Medici in Rome where he produced two collaborative books. In 2008, the Atelier Georges Leblanc closed, and Pierre Lallier transferred a significant portion of the historical equipment to Didier Mutel. In 2009, Didier Mutel purchased a space in Orchamps in the Jura, where he reinstalled the workshop. Since 2003 Mutel has been teaching at the Institut Supérieur des Beaux Arts of Besançon and is regularly invited by American universities for presentations and special courses. In 2013 Didier Mutel received the prestigious title of Maître d’art. Most recently, he was awarded the Prix Liliane Bettencourt pour l’Intelligence de la Main, a juried prize for “exceptional talent” that recognized his recent book, R217A (2016), as a work “resulting from a perfect mastery of techniques and savoir-faire of artistic craft” as well as demonstrating “innovation, and contributing to the evolution of this knowledge.” His most recent work includes La Pierre Rosette [The Rosetta Stone] (2015), the monumental The First Atlas of The United States Of Acid (2017), Sidereus Nuncius (2018), Melancholia (2021), The True Tales of Captain Acid (2022), and the ongoing series, The Birds of Acid (2019-).

ATELIER MUTEL traces its roots to 1793, making it 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 Rosetta Stone: an ancient key: history & a new translation

The Rosetta stone is one of the most famous artifacts created by man. A strong symbol: a key. The engraved stone was the key to discovering and entering Egyptian civilization. Before its discovery an unknown history, an unknown mythology, an unknown civilization.

For the engraver and artist Didier Mutel the Rosetta Stone is also a key: one that opens not only language, but also history, heritage, and above all art & creation. In this presentation, he will briefly touch on the history of the 1808 printing of the Rosetta Stone for Napoleon’s monumental “La Description de l’Egypte” at the Atelier Rémond, a studio which has descended to him and which he directs today in Orchamps, France. The talk will also include details about the history of the studio and Mutel’s tireless efforts to promote the longstanding tradition of engraving by producing books, prints, and etchings.

Mutel’s 2015 “replica” etching of the Rosetta Stone, which features in the Grolier Club’s current exhibition “Language, Decipherment, and Translation”, is not a copy, but rather an entirely new “stone.” The object appears the same, same size, same number of lines, and same blemishes, and is, just as was the original, a key. But no longer a key to Egyptian civilization, but rather one for art and creation.

Registration

If you are a Grolier Club member, please register yourself and your guests via the Club website. Do not register via Eventbrite.

Support

We appreciate your interest in the Grolier Club’s programming on the art and history of the book. For over 130 years we have offered our exhibitions and lectures to the public, free of charge. If you have enjoyed these offerings and would like to support that tradition and help ensure that it continues, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Grolier Club.

Accessibility

An ADA-compliant lift from the street level to the lobby is available to anyone with mobility issues. All desk staff should be ready and able to assist you in operating the lift, with or without advance notice.

A “T-Coil” assisted listening system is available to anyone attending a lecture in the Exhibition Hall. Visitors with hearing aids should turn their devices to the “T” setting to access the system; visitors without hearing aids may request a “loop receiver” with earphones.

Environment

The temperature and humidity in the exhibition hall are tightly controlled for the sake of the valuable items on display, and this may cause the room to feel chilly, particularly in warmer weather, to those coming in from outside. Members and visitors are advised to bring a light wrap when visiting an exhibition, or attending an event in the hall.

Time: 6:00-7:30 pm EST

Free!

Registration