book dominates the center of a long narrow table in the exhibition room “unfolding”. It is a large leather-bound volume, part of a monumental three-volume work of art, and has the huge title Les plus beaux ornaments et les tableaux les plus remarquables de Pompei, d’Herculanum et de Stabiae (The most beautiful ornaments and most wonderful paintings of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabia). An 1841 edition in Berlin, an important acquisition of a private collection.

“And imagine that Gospels of Byza it is tiny,” says Nikolaos Sarris, restorer National Library of Greece (EBE) and a member of the organizing committee of the exhibition. Mr. Sarris was also one of Mrs. Biza’s popular bookbinding apprentices, so he remembers how she spent many months working on this book to meet the demands of classic bookbinding. The size of the volume, the extensive custom-made gilding on the cover, and the gilded edges on all three sides of each volume test the abilities of any bookbinder. This particular work was actually made in duplicate, as the collector had one volume “bound” in 1841 and the other two in separate sheets, which were to be “bound” in the same way.

The exhibition, housed on the second floor of the EBE, is a retrospective of Biza’s gospel work. Perhaps this name is not so well known outside the world of applied arts. Like her in our phone conversation, her art is subtle, though technically and artistically demanding. Completing a book or project takes time, knowledge, and aesthetics. Her work moves between bookbinding design, bespoke bookbinding of contemporary books, and her own artistic creations (artist’s books).

In a word, it always revolves around the book – the one that is read, the one that is “obliged” to make publication personal, and the non-standard object containing images, drawings, and even blank sheets of homemade paper. That is, a work of art that is valued as such.

The materials with which the highly skilled craftswoman and artist works are the same that have been used in bookbinding for about two thousand years: leather, parchment and paper. And even wood, gold leaf, mother-of-pearl. Of course, thread and needle. “However, he is also very fond of metal,” comments Mr. Sarris, who is leading us through the exhibition. A perfect example is the book ‘La Seine à Paris’ (The Seine in Paris), 620 of 990 numbered copies, bound with visible stitching, perforated metal cover, digitally printed paper overlaid with watercolor.

In the “What” catalog published by the ASKT Graphic Art Workshop in 2011, the bookbinder made 1,500 Chinese rubber knots by hand.

In the “O,ti” catalog published by ASKT’s graphic, typographic and book art workshop in 2011 (she taught as a guest at this particular workshop), her contribution was seemingly simple. “My own contribution to the production of 700 copies of the ASKT catalog was a handmade clasp: 1,500 handmade Chinese rubber knots,” says Evangelie Biza.

For Washed Memories, he used the cyanotype technique, an alternative technique to photography discovered in the 18th century. The “Holy Book” has a Byzantine binding, with hand-made paper, parchment splits, gold leaves, and wooden bindings. This book was created on the occasion of Mrs. Biza’s participation in the exhibition “The Sacred Art”, one of the few exhibitions organized in Greece that showcases works of artistic bookbinding. On the contrary, abroad the general public is interested in this art, exhibitions and competitions are held, in which the Greek bookbinder was often awarded.

This particular exhibition is the first of its kind to be held at the EBE and it creates hope for the future. Thanks to the library’s excellent paper holdings, there is room for complete and very interesting exhibitions on bookbinding throughout the ages.

The duration of the exhibition is until June 11.