Monday, July 14, 2014

Other People's Prints


Sam Gilliam, Jones Road II, 1972


Now on view at American University's sprawling art complex is Passionate Collectors: The Washington Print Club at 50. This ambitious show presents prints culled from local collections, including works by heavy hitters such as Durer, van Dyck, Carracci, Pissarro, Picasso and Chuck Close. DC Screen print fans will recognize two longtime locals Lou Stovall and Sam Gilliam's very different approaches to the medium, and devoted readers of this blog remember master printer Richard Estes's magnificent technical and multicolor skill. All the screen prints date from at least 20 years ago and represent the type of risk-taking already forming. Certainly Gilliam's free form textures explore concepts of random multilayering and experimental outcomes. And Indian artist Bhupen Khakhar's Lotus reads like a watercolor painting.

Richard Estes, Manhattan III, 1981

"Viewers will be surprised there are no dominating genres or periods or artists represented in this show, but rather a huge range of works that are national, international and local," said AU Museum Director and Curator Jack Rasmussen. "We share our location in the nation's capital with most international diplomatic missions to the United States. Washington is a community with diverse interests and affiliations and may well provide the most diverse group of collectors in the country."


Bhupen Khakhar, Lotus, 1993


Lou Stovall, American Beauty Two, 1986
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Passionate Collectors: The Washington Print Club at 50
June 14 – August 17, 2014
Katzen Center at American University
4400 Massachusetts Ave NW
Washington, DC 20016