The Musée Typographique in Saint-Lô, Manche, will close its doors on October 8. Created in 2019, the museum houses over 700m 2 exhibition space, a collection of presses and objects retracing the history of traditional printing. After several unsuccessful years of seeking public support, the museum's founder, Fernand Le Rachinel, was forced to put the premises and part of the collection up for sale.
Part of the collection will enrich Jean-Paul Maury's museum...
According to a memo issued by the museum team, some of the equipment will join the museum created by printer Jean-Paul Maury, the Atelier-Musée de l'Imprimerie (AMI) in Malesherbes, Loiret.
And the rest of the collection will be incorporated into an associative project run by Gaëlle Mauger and Annie Hurel, the museum's animators. The two women wish to preserve this technical and cultural heritage, by making it accessible to the public in a renewed form.
... and another to create an atypical art studio
The intention is to "continue to introduce visitors to the techniques of traditional printing, while developing the educational potential of this heritage: imagine an atypical art studio, where venerable printing presses mingle with the smell of fresh ink and creative projects of all kinds".
This project is based on a partnership with Er Hastellig. Founded by Pierre Okuyama and Pauline Foucher, Er Hastellig publishes exclusively poetry books illustrated by artists.
"Together, we'll continue to introduce the public to the history of printing and books, while creating our own graphic and poetic objects s", explain Gaëlle Mauger and Annie Hurel.
