MGNE Juror’s Talk: “A History of the American Monotype” with Andrew Stevens
Friday, April 8, 2016 from 2:00pm – 4:00pm
Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy Street
Cambridge MA
What is a monotype and what impact has this medium played in the history of printmaking? Join our Fourth National Monotype/Monoprint Juried Exhibition Juror, Andrew Stevens, as he discusses the history of monotype through a selection of prints from the Harvard Art Museums’ collections. This conversational, close-looking seminar will consider some of the novel things that artists do to a plate by examining works on paper by a range of artist including Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn, Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt, Stanley William Hayter, John Stanton, James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Eugene Higgins, Glen Ligon and David Hammons. A full list of the prints that will be on view during the seminar can be previewed here.
Due to limited tickets, this seminar is currently open to Members only.
Members Fee: $35.00, includes admission ticket to the Harvard Art Museums. Registration is required and payment must be made in advance. Space is limited to 15 and registration is on a first come, first serve basis. To register, please contact Paula Desimone at desimonedesigns@yahoo.com or 617-568-2573.
Planning Your Visit: The seminar will take place in the Art Study Center, Level 4 of the Harvard Art Museums. Please arrive 15 minutes before the start of the program to allow sufficient time to sign in at the Art Study Center reception desk. Please be prepared to present a photo ID. Lockers are available on the Lower Level, Level 1, and Level 4 to check bags, coats, umbrellas, and any food or drink. For more information about parking and planning your visit to the Harvard Art Museums, please go to http://www.harvardartmuseums.org/plan-your-visit
About the Juror
“Of all the print processes, [monotype] is the most spontaneous and simple. Its ability to capture a deft stroke of the artist’s hand gives it great appeal to the skilled sketcher, while its simplicity makes it an ideal platform for the sorts of experiments that have intrigued American artists.” – Andrew Stevens, in Introduction, American Monotypes in the Baker/Pisano Collection.
Andrew Stevens, Curator of the Collection of Prints, Drawings and Photographs at the Chazen Museum at the University of Wisconsin, has published on a variety of subjects from the prints of 18th century printmaker, William Hogarth, to the color woodcut in Japan, Europe and America. He provides unique insights from more than 25 years experience of caring for a collection of 14,000 works on paper and organizing more than 80 exhibitions.
Stevens’ most recent publications trace the development of monotype and related processes used by American artists from the late 19th century into the late 20th century. In 2015, Stevens curated the exhibition American Monotypes from the Baker/Pisano Collection, which examined the popularity of the monotype in America and how techniques developed in America over the past two centuries, placing the medium into historical context.