Edward Cella Art+Architecture (ECAA) is delighted to announce its new exhibition entitled, Impression: Contemporary/Modern Prints 1960—today.  This blockbuster of a group exhibition features prints and edition artworks by key artists of the 20^th century alongside work by contemporary and emerging figures.  Among the artists included are Billy Al Bengston, Richard Diebenkorn, Sam Francis, Philip Guston, Robert Motherwell, James Rosenquist and Wayne Thiebaud, all of whom are also included in the collections of some of the worlds’ major museums.  Often referred to as peintre-graveur or “painter-engravers,” these artists revolutionized printmaking in the United States beginning in the 1960’s, making changes that ultimately democratized fine art for a broader audience.

Edition printwork is often misconstrued as an auxiliary activity that supports a larger project.  In truth, however, since the emergence of dedicated print workshops like Gemini G.E.L., Tyler Graphics, Tamarind Lithography Workshop and Tullis Atelier in the early 1960’s, printmaking has been established as a discrete endeavor in itself that provides a fascinating glimpse into the process and technique of the artist.  Working in collaboration with master printers, painters create edition projects that rival the complexities and intricacies of their primary artworks.  For many viewers, printmaking is a brilliant introduction to the artists that also allows for a deeper understanding of each artist’s process and oeuvre.

Impression offers an unusual opportunity to discover the range and diversity of print and edition-making techniques.  A variety of techniques including monotype, engraving and lithography will be featured in the exhibition; additionally, works representing the collaboration of print workshops on both coasts will be included.  Impression promises to be a diverse and satisfying exhibition that illuminates moments in the careers of individual artists, while bringing them together under the venerable and varied medium of printmaking.