INK: 75 Years of PrintS

INK: 75 Years of Prints,

INK: 75 Years of Prints

I Drink,

Therefore I Can, I Drink

Therefore I Can,

Cool Down Pop (RBG), 2023

Montre Molles et les Papillons

ALe

Les Servantes/ La Danse

Empresses

The Empresses (Wu Zetian H10-1)

l'Aube de l'Amour

Peintre à la Veste Rouge

INK: 75 Years of Prints

Plate VI from Espriu

La Fronde

The Kármán Line

The Empresses (Theodora H10-3)

White

Lotus 4

Halsey

The Sun 4

The Sun 1

Golden Caribbean (Caribe Dorado)

"A single tree acts as a visual divide or barrier between the sexes, men on one side, women on the other— the ambiguous relationship between the subjects and the sometimes-madcap situations in which they have found themselves ensures that the full story remains just beyond our grasp."

Then Came Death and Took the Butcher Illustrations After El Lissitsky’s Had Gadya

Seven Blues Jan 24 2024 DS

'N Thingz

Flores Yellow,

Flores Yellow

invites viewers to engage with its textured surface. “Seven Blues Jan 24 2024 DS” was chosen as the exhibition invitation for its vibrant colors and distinctive texture which effectively captures the viewer's attention, symbolizing the innovative spirit and diversity of techniques represented in the exhibition. Sultan's piece, with its blend of abstraction and realism, sets the tone for an exhibition that celebrates Modern & Contemporary masters prints over the past 75 years highlighting both traditional methods and contemporary advancements.

Nicole Wittenberg’s contemporary prints are celebrated for their expressive use of color and form. Her work often explores themes of perception and the act of seeing, creating dynamic compositions that challenge the viewer’s visual experience. Wittenberg's “Sunset”, 2022, captures the serene beauty of a sunset scene with vibrant hues of pink and orange. The composition features a silhouetted tree against the backdrop of a glowing sky and its reflection in the water, evoking a sense of tranquility and contemplation. Wittenberg's use of bold colors and dynamic brushstrokes brings a contemporary twist to the timeless subject of landscape art.

“INK: 75 Years of Prints” is more than an exhibition; it is a testament to the enduring power and versatility of printmaking as an artistic medium. Through the works of these distinguished artists, Burgess Modern + Contemporary’s curated selections highlights an exhibition that is concrete in its capacity to convey complex ideas, evoke profound emotions, and bridge diverse artistic movements. As we celebrate this remarkable collection, we are reminded of the rich history and vibrant future of prints in the ever-evolving landscape of contemporary art.

Mel Bochner

Mel Bochner [born 1940] is recognized as one of the leading figures in the development of Conceptual art. Bochner came of age during the second half of the 1960s, a moment of radical change both in society at large as well as in art.

While painting slowly lost its preeminent position in modern art, language moved from talking about art to becoming part of art itself. With Bochner at the head of the movement, a new generation of artists which also included Eva Hesse, Donald Judd, and Robert Smithson, sought ways to break away from Abstract Expressionism.

His 1966 show at the School of Visual Arts, "Working Drawings And Other Visible Things On Paper Not Necessarily Meant To Be Viewed As Art", is regarded as a seminal show in the conceptual art movement. Bochner photocopied his friends’ working drawings, including a

$3,051.16 fabricator’s bill from Donald Judd. He collected the copies in four black binders and displayed them on four pedestals. The show was remade at the Drawing Center, New York, in 1998. Bochner began making prints and paintings in the 1970s, with works ranging from extremely colorful works containing words to works more clearly connected to the conceptual art he pioneered. For a 1998 work titled Event Horizon, for example, he arranged pre-stretched canvases of various sizes along a wall, each marked with a horizontal line and a number denoting its width in inches. Together, the lines appear to form a horizon, creating what Jeffrey Weiss in his catalog essay for Bochner’s 2007 exhibit Event Horizon called a representation of “the world as a fantasy of quantifiable truth.”

His works containing text, such as Head Honcho, Shut Up and the infamous Blah, Blah, Blah have captivated Contemporary collectors around the globe. Bochner repeats a rhythmic, graphic pattern that slowly reveals itself as a textual play with words. At first glance, the work appears as stark, bold, abstracted shapes. Upon closer inspection, the

viewer identifies phrases, like “Blah, Blah, Blah”, scrawled together. Bochner deploys this phrase instead of the singular use of the word “blah” for a new effect. It seeks to reflect commentary on the blather of advertisers, politicians, and bloggers – while also critiquing the social media world of texts and tweets.

Bochner creates a parade of words, shamelessly demanding for attention. In 2004, Bochner’s work was exhibited in the Whitney Biennial, at London’s Tate Modern in 2005 and 2011, the National Gallery of Art held a major retrospective for the artist. His pieces are held in numerous major museum collections, including the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.