Bottega del Tintoretto

Keeping ancient machinery alive with skills preserved for the futureIn 1986, a group of artists who had been studying the history of printing in Venice opened an art printing workshop, Bottega del Tintoretto. It is equipped with machinery they recovered from ancient Venetian printing factories who were discarding tools no longer in use. Bottega del Tintoretto, named because it sits next to the building that was home to the painter Tintoretto, is a space aimed at preserving and spreading the precious know-how built by generations of skilled craftsmen. It’s a research place where printers and artists, also under the guide of a Master printer, can create their own artworks and hand-bound artist’s books. Over the years, Bottega has organised workshops and courses to share the classic techniques of engraving, xylography, lithography – as well as the most recent techniques. It has created a rental library, including 16th-century ephemera. Also, the artist collaborating with Bottega have organised exhibitions and events, complementary art courses and founded Editions du Dromadaire, a publishing house for children.