On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Calcography and Woodcut course taught by Professor Valerio Mezzetti at the Liceo Artistico Russoli of Pisa and Cascina, the Museo della Grafica presents the exhibition “Teaching Printmaking – 25 Years of Workshop Practice at the Liceo Russoli”. The exhibition is open to the public from 14 May to 14 June.
The exhibition retraces twenty-five years of the Calcography and Woodcut course led by Professor Valerio Mezzetti at the Liceo Artistico Russoli in Pisa, through works, matrices, tools, and documentation of the workshop activities carried out with students. It offers an अवसर to highlight the educational and artistic path developed within the institution, emphasizing the role of printmaking as a formative, expressive, and cultural practice.
The printmaking workshop activity at the Liceo Russoli originated in the 1999/2000 academic year through a collaboration between the Istituto d’Arte “F. Russoli” and the Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe of the University of Pisa—the founding nucleus of the Museo della Grafica—within the framework of initiatives coordinated by the Department of Art History.
Through the project “Il Segno Inciso” (“The Engraved Mark”), the workshop developed into an active and ongoing educational program dedicated to both the historical understanding and practical application of printmaking techniques. Activities, conducted during regular school hours and in supplementary sessions, enabled students to engage directly with calcographic and woodcut techniques, experimenting with tools, matrices, and printing processes. The collaboration with the University of Pisa also supported the educational and workshop activities, contributing to the growth of the project and to the promotion of students’ work.
Valerio Mezzetti
He was born in Camaiore (Lucca) on 22 June 1959. He is a teacher of Painting, Pictorial Decoration, and Printmaking at the Liceo Artistico “F. Russoli” in Pisa.
He graduated from the Istituto d’Arte “Stagio Stagi” in Pietrasanta, specializing in Sculpture and Plastic Decoration, and subsequently from the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence, where he studied Painting. He further refined his printmaking skills by attending courses taught by Professor Domenico Viggiano, initially focusing on calcographic techniques—from etching to mezzotint—and later on wood engraving on end-grain, primarily oriented toward the production of small-format prints and ex libris.
His first ex libris bearing his own name dates back to 2003; since 2005 he has taken part in numerous ex libris competitions, receiving national and international awards and recognition.
As noted by E. Bragaglia in L’ex libris del bibliofilo, his works stand out “for the careful reflection devoted to each project, the masterful precision of drawing, and the vivid realism infused into his works, which consistently express humanistic values and ideal passions with great intensity.”
The exhibition opening, with free admission, will take place on Thursday, 14 May 2026, at 5:00 p.m.
Museo della Grafica
(+39) 050.2216060
museodellagrafica@adm.unipi.it
www.museodellagrafica.sma.unipi.it
