The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center

Punctuating Space: The Prints and Multiples of Richard Artschwager

About the Show

Notably working as both a sculptor and a painter, the provocative oeuvre of Richard Artschwager (1923–2013) straddles pop, minimalism, and conceptual issues. Beginning in the 1960s, Artschwager radically upset conventional norms of art by anonymously inserting his signature black, oval-shaped blp into unexpected settings. His mysterious grisaille paintings imbue his landscapes, interiors, and portraits with a haunting, dream-like aura, while his colorful, faux-wood sculptures of everyday objects and commercial material arouse unsettling reactions that challenge the role of art.

Artschwager extended his enigmatic approach to prints and multiples, completing a compelling body of over 100 editioned works. Themes of multiplicity and the dissemination of art, inherent to these mediums, are a natural fit with his artmaking. This exhibition will be the first study of Artschwager’s editioned work and will also include a series of unique etching proofs that offer a rarely seen window into the artist’s creative process.

Punctuating Space is guest-curated by Wendy Weitman, former curator of prints at the Museum of Modern Art. The exhibition is supported by the Friends of the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center Exhibition Fund.