Harry Bertoia, Printmaker

The seventy-nine monotypes in this catalogue represent the principal styles and themes that emerged not only in Harry Bertoia's printmaking, but in his sculpture as well. June Kompass Nelson, author of Harry Bertoia, Sculptor, analyzes the graphic works and places them in the context of Bertoia's total oeuvre, with particular regard to their relationship with his sculpture. A teacher of metalwork and printmaking at the Cranbrook Academy of Arts in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, Bertoia began working in monotype in 1940-nearly a decade before his first attempts at sculpture-and continually returned to the medium until his death in 1978. Nelson's introduction, biographical material, and well-documented chronology contribute to the portrait of a Michigan artist of international repute who maintained his "regionalist sensibility".

[flaps]

A teacher of metalwork and printmaking at the Cranbrook Academy of Arts in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, from 1937 to 1940, Harry Bertoia began working in monotype in 1940--nearly a decade before his first attempts at sculpture--and continually returned to the medium until his death in 1978. The monotypes have not been exhibited collectively since 1947, when critics began to concentrate on and recognize Bertoia's sculpture and furniture designs. The seventy-nine monotypes in this catalogue represent the principal styles and themes that emerged not only in Beroita's printmaking, but his sculpture as well.

Taken in historical context, the Bertoia graphics of the 1940s demonstrate one of the earliest sustained interests in the monotype and related printing techniques in the United States in modern times. Examining the monotypes of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, one recognizes Bertoia's continued interest in the medium and its influence on his art. June Kompass Nelson, author of Harry Bertoia, Sculptor, analyzes the graphic works and places them in the context of Bertoia's total oeuvre, with particular regard to their relationship with his sculpture. Her introduction, biographical material, and well-documented chronology contribute to the portrait of a Michigan artist of international repute who maintained his "regionalist sensibility."