Modern Times: American Graphic Arts, 1900-1950

Friday January 30, 2009 - Thursday March 5, 2009
Modern Times: American Graphic Arts, 1900-1950

Martin Lewis (American, 1881-1962), Shadow Dance, 1930, drypoint and sandpaper ground. Gift of George W. Davison (B.A. Wesleyan 1892), 1939.D1.20 (photo: R. J. Phil).

The first half of the 20th century saw dramatic changes in American life, changes American printmakers variously celebrated, satirized, and condemned. From the soaring skyscrapers of New York City to the rolling fields of Iowa, from the power of modern machinery to the turmoil of labor demonstrations, printmakers captured the excitement and conflicts of modern life. Modern Times: American Graphic Arts, 1900-1950 was organized by students in a Wesleyan University seminar. The exhibition presented more than 50 prints from the Davison Art Center collection. Artists included Thomas Hart Benton, Martin Lewis, Joseph Pennell, John Sloan, and Grant Wood.

OPENING RECEPTION

Thursday 29 January, 5:00-7:00 p.m.
Gallery talk by student curators at 5:30 p.m.
Open to the public free of charge