Printmaking in America: collaborative prints and presses, 1960-1990

Abstract

An extraordinary outburst of creative activity occurred among American printmakers between the years 1960 and 1990. New workshops sprang up, like Universal Limited Art Editions on Long Island and the Tamarind Lithography Workshop in Los Angeles, as well as small presses throughout the country. In contrast to traditional European studios, where professional printers reproduced artists' designs, the new American workshops emphasized collaboration between printer and artist, and radical experimentation with mediums and processes. This book shows how the new presses attracted an influx of talented people to printmaking during those years. Frank Stella, Robert Rauschenberg, Red Grooms, Jennifer Bartlett and Robert Longo are just a few of the artists whose work is illustrated here. Due to their achievement and that of other artists, printmaking became recognized as a major art form, and the climate of experimentation fostered by these workshops became a driving force in the contemporary art world. The book is published to coincide with an exhibition which opened at the Zimmerli Art Gallery, New Jersey in April 1995, and is travelling around the United States.

Contents

Introduction and Acknowledgments / David Mickenberg -- Collaboration in American Printmaking Before 1960 / Joann Moser -- Multiple Visions: Printers, Artists, Promoters, and Patrons / Trudy V. Hansen -- Printmaking 1960 to 1990 / Barry Walker -- Multiple Purposes: Collaboration and Education in University and Non-Profit Workshops / David Mickenberg.