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The Australian Library of Art Showcase displays rare items curated from State Library's collections.Our current display, A is for Ox, focuses on the art and history of typography.
Did you know that the capital letter A, from our modern Latin alphabet, started as a picture of an ox head? If you turn it upside-down you can still see its horns.The Ancient Greeks adopted it for their phonetic alphabet, turned it onto its head, and there it has remained.
Generations of typographers and book artists have since exercised their skills on the letters of the alphabet, turning those symbols representing sounds back into art again.
This display roams through the collections of the Australian Library of Art – from the typewriter art of Henry Greenhow’s Ziggurats and the word art of Richard Tipping to the glorious typographic books of Alan Loney.
Free Curator's Tours are held monthly. Join one of our specialist librarians to discover the hidden gems of the Australian Library of Art collections.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
State Library of Queensland, Cnr Peel & Stanley Sts,Brisbane,QLD,Australia
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