Leonard Baskin
(American, 1922-2000)
Untitled, ca. 1960-70
Etching on paper, 18” x 11-7/8”
Gift of Sally Moret
71.1.12
Leonard Baskin had a long and varied artistic career, exploring illustration, design, and sculpture. It is graphic arts with which he is most associated, however. While still a student at Yale, Baskin founded Gehenna Press (1942-2000). It was to become a long-standing and respected fine art press. While always a representational artist, Baskin freely incorporated formal and abstract elements to give his subjects complexity and individuality. In the two Baskin prints in this exhibition, he uses an extremely vertical composition and a blotch of heavy black ink to impact the human faces. Baskin’s work is represented in the collections of many major museums in the United States and Europe.