Alphabets Alive! at Bodleian Libraries’ special collections, Treasury, Weston Library

EXHIBITION DATES:  19 July 2023 – 21 January 2024

Something magical happens when letters and the book become the raw material of art. 

Alphabets Alive! brings the magic of books and alphabets to life, featuring more than 150 works inspired by the alphabet – manuscripts, prints, posters, sculptures, alphabet books and, especially, artists’ books in their many shapes, sizes, colours, materials and languages. 

Encounter medieval and modern bestiaries, miniature and monumental books, alphabets made by Renaissance designers or generated by artificial intelligence, and abecedaries of human bodies and beachcombed rocks. Trace how the centuries-old ABC book for teaching children to read has influenced modern alphabet books and artists' books, and discover how the simple structure of the alphabet inspires works that are playful, provocative and profound.