PULLMAN, Wash. — The Museum of Art at Washington State University will present the exhibit Roy Lichtenstein Prints 1956-97: From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and his Family Foundation from Sept. 24 – Dec. 16. The exhibit will feature more than 70 prints by the late Roy Lichtenstein. All works come from Jordan Schnitzer’s immense collection of prints in Portland, Ore.
Organized by the museum and the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation, the exhibit will present a special opportunity to view a comprehensive range of prints by one of the 20th century’s most recognized and influential artists.
Lichtenstein is widely known for his comic-book images and Benday dot patterns, which many consider the most capturing and enduring of all pop art imagery. Lichtenstein explored every print-making medium, however, producing more than 300 print editions (with multiple runs of each).
Roy Lichtenstein Prints 1956-97 is an across-the-board exhibit of the many different subjects and genres Lichtenstein chose to embrace during his career. From portrait to abstraction to modern art history, Lichtenstein left no style or subject matter untapped. Included in the display will be the first proto-pop image he completed in 1956, as well as the print he was working on at the time of his death in 1997. The exhibit will provide an opportunity to witness firsthand in one venue a large portion of the artist’s life work.
A full-color trade book entitled, “Roy Lichtenstein Prints 1956-97: From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and his Family Foundation,” will be produced for this exhibit by Marquand Books of Seattle. The publication includes essays by MacArthur award winning art and culture writer Dave Hickey (author of “Invisible Dragon: Four Essays on Beauty”, and “Air Guitar”), Elizabeth Brown, chief curator of the Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, and Chris Bruce, director of the Museum of Art/WSU.
There will be a visitor’s gallery guide to the exhibit as well as a curriculum packet provided for teachers. The gallery guide will cover pop art’s coming of age, the life and times of Lichtenstein and specific images which address issues in art history and the culture at large. Regional school groups are encouraged to attend, with transportation funded through the Museum of Art “Buy-a Busload-of-Kids” program.
Roy Lichtenstein Prints 1956-97 will travel to a number of other venues after leaving Pullman, including the Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington; Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, University of Oregon; Las Vegas Museum of Art; Palm Springs Art Museum; and Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.
Without the enthusiasm of the collector, Jordan Schnitzer, an exhibit of this quality and scope would have been impossible. During the past decade, Schnitzer has become one of the most prolific private collectors of prints in the United States. He believes in making these resources available to the public, particularly to underserved audiences such as institutions of a small or medium size who would otherwise not be able to present works of this stature. He is also committed to providing educational outreach such as transportation for school groups, hands-on workshops, guest lectures and curriculum packets.
The display will exemplify Schnitzer’s enthusiastic appreciation of the retrospective exhibit as an opportunity to explore and understand the way an individual artist evolves over time, pushing boundaries and adding richness over time.
Funding for this exhibit, the book and programs has been provided by the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation. Additional funding for the book was provided by the H.S. Wright III Signature Exhibition Fund at WSU and Robert and Winona Nilan of Pullman. Visit the WSU Museum of Art Web site at www.wsu.edu/artmuse for more information.
