Playing with Process: Explorations in Experimental Printmaking June 19–September 8, 2013
Claes Oldenburg, Ray Gun, 1959, transfer drawing (monotype), the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Museum purchase with funds provided by the Alvin S. Romansky Prints and Drawings Accession Endowment Fund. © Claes Oldenburg
Nicholas Galanin, Daydreams of a world discovered from the West, 2011, monoprint in red (rubbing from a carving), the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, gift of friends of Neal von Hedemann, in his memory, with additional funds provided by Wynne Phelan and Clinton T. Willour. © Nicholas Galanin
Matt Magee, Rose of Jays, 2011, polymer relief on J. Barcham Green Crown & Sceptre paper, ed. 14/15, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, gift of Hiram Butler and Andrew Spindler-Roesle in honor of Jesse H. Jones II. © Matt Magee
Jamal Cyrus, Codec Rite (2), 2007, graphite dust on wove paper, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, gift of Clinton T. Willour, Kerry F. Inman and Denby Auble, and Lea Weingarten in Honor of Bryan Miller. © Jamal Cyrus
Playing with Process showcases modern and contemporary artists who push the boundaries of traditional printmaking. A highly versatile medium, printmaking evolves with the technology of its time. Artists continually revolutionize their materials, techniques, and processes. The experimental prints in this exhibition combine time-tested printmaking techniques with innovative ideas, such as printing on nontraditional surfaces, using digital technology, and employing unconventional tools.
Printmaking has a long, rich history—the medium originated in China after the invention of paper in AD 105. Prints were initially exploited as a form of communication but were later elevated to the fine arts in part because of their unique technical qualities. To make a print, an artist applies ink to paper not by directly drawing on its surface, but through a transfer process, which results in multiple originals.
Drawn primarily from the MFAH collection, Playing with Process features prints by artists including John Cage, Mel Chin, Helen Frankenthaler, Nicholas Galanin, Isca Greenfield-Saders, Ellsworth Kelly, Sherrie Levine, Suzanne Manns, Claes Oldenburg, and Robert Rauschenberg.
This exhibition is organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.