Master American Printmakers

The Marianne Friedland Gallery features a selection of Master American Printmakers including works by Wolf Kahn, Janet Fish, Jules Olitski, Alex Katz, Jeff Koons, Larry Rivers, Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist and Donald Sultan.

The history of printmaking is centuries old. However, in 20th century America it was Stanley Hayter, a British printmaker, who came to New York in the early 1940’s who spawned a major phenomenon in American printmaking, the postwar print renaissance. He fostered a shift in thinking about the print – from a medium valued for its reproductive capabilities to a medium capable of fostering innovative artistic expression.

Artists such as Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns blazed a path to newly created print shops and influenced others to follow. By challenging prevailing notions of artistic subjectivity and originality in their choices of subject matter and mediums, Johns and Rauschenberg helped to remove the stigma that had been associated with printmaking during the early decades of the century. Since the print explosion of the 1960’s, artists continue to be intrigued by the varied techniques, processes and theoretical implications associated with the print medium.

Jeff Koons	Alex Katz	Larry Rivers
Untitled (DOW), 2001 lithograph on paper 41 5/16 x 29 5/16 in. ed. of 150	“Ada in Hat”, 1990, AP 9/30, 26 x 36 inches	Fred & Ginger, 1999 lithograph on foam core 34 1/4 x 29 1/2 in. ed. of 53