American Printmaking
The 20th century was a progressive period of experimentation and stylistic change in the art world, fostering the growth of what would become a tradition of printmaking in the United States lead by America’s foremost artists. In the first decades of the century, artists Stuart Davis, Thomas Hart Benton and Louis Lozowick, to name only a few, travelled to France to learn the art of lithography in Parisian printmaking studios. The graphic arts started to flourish in America in the 1930s, bolstered by WPA projects that established printmaking studios and workshops for unemployed artists during the Depression, and by the founding of Associated American Artists in 1934. AAA was a private organization that was established to help stimulate the American art market by inviting artists to make prints in their studios. Experimentation with printmaking techniques defined these studios and continued into the mid-century with the revival of woodcut printing and the introduction of screenprinting. The Abstract Expressionists used printmaking as another medium for the expression of their artistic philosophy, followed by the Pop artists who used screenprinting to further their commentary on popular culture. Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Larry Rivers, Jim Dine and Robert Motherwell were all prolific printmakers, helping the tradition of printmaking in American to continue into the Post-War and Contemporary eras. Our 20th Century, Modern & Contemporary Fine Art sale offers fine examples of printmaking in all the varied techniques, from engraving to lithography, screenprinting, woodblock printing, and monotype printing.
Time & Location
20th Century, Modern & Contemporary Fine Art
June 4 at 11am ONLINE