THIS IS MY BOOK!

Exlibris from the Alexander Kerrutt Collection

What is an Exlibris?

An Exlibris (lat. ex libris, engl. "from the books") is a book owner's mark, which has been used for centuries as a creatively designed label or stamp usually placed on the inside of a book cover to identify the respective owner.

The Exhibition

This exhibition presents exquisite examples from the over 40,000 objects in Alexander Kerrutt's Exlibris collection – one of the largest private collections in Germany.

The exhibition is a cooperation between the Waldmuseum Dr. Kanngiesser and the Municipal Museums Wetzlar. Different thematic focuses have been set in both institutions:

Municipal Museums Wetzlar (Summer 2025)
The special exhibition focuses on city history themes.

Waldmuseum Dr. Kanngiesser (2026)
Here, collection-specific thematic areas are at the center, based on the interests of the museum founder Dr. med. et phil. Friedrich Kanngiesser (1884–1965):

• Books and Libraries
• Learning and Teaching
• Printing and Collecting
• Life Reform
• Nature and Artists
• Puppet Theater and Marionettes

The two-volume Exlibris collection of the museum founder – the immediate starting point for this exhibition project – will also be shown in a video production.

The Catalog

The accompanying catalog contains:

• A significant number of illustrations of the Exlibris displayed in Braunfels and Wetzlar
• Introductory texts from the exhibition organizers
• The biography of the private collector Alexander Kerrutt
• A contribution from Dr. Henry Tauber, long-time president of the German Exlibris Society (DEG), about the history of the "modern" Exlibris

Special Edition: A special catalog edition includes an original Exlibris by both artists Andreas Raub and Krzysztof Bąk.