Prints by four of the 20th century’s greatest artists are to go on display in Dundee later this year in an exhibition from the V&A.
Modern Masters in Print: Matisse, Picasso, Dali and Warhol is the latest in a series of exhibitions being held at The McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery and Museum in the run-up to the opening of V&A at Dundee.
“These ‘modern masters’ each had a profound influence in the art world, but also beyond,” V&A curator Gill Saunders said.
“Their legacy pervades our culture. All four were also accomplished printmakers, using the medium to reach a wider audience. Together, these four artists spanned a 75-year period that saw the birth of the modern age.
“They employed a wide range of techniques, and their work represents one of the most creative and diverse periods of printmaking in the history of western art.”
The prints have been drawn from the V&A’s outstanding collections of prints, posters and artists’ books and the exhibition will highlight the different ways in which each of these four artists used the medium of print.
For Matisse and Picasso printmaking was one of the many artistic media they employed. They used print to explore themes and motifs from other areas of their work. For Dali it was an exercise in experimentation.
He would sometimes set off a bomb filled with nails and keys next to an engraving plate, which when printed would give the impression’s unique markings. Warhol’s prints were his primary means of expression and central to his work.
His screen-prints based on mass-produced images challenged the concept of the ‘original’ print. It is hoped the exhibition will draw in crowds to the McManus.
Last year over 10,000 people turned out in the first two weeks alone of an exhibition showcasing 10 drawings by Leonardo da Vinci.
Lord Provost Bob Duncan, chairman of Leisure and Culture Dundee, said: “This is another exciting exhibition for The McManus.
“People are responding enthusiastically to the benefits of our close partnership with the V&A. The McManus is becoming widely known as a quality destination and this exhibition is an outstanding attraction to bring visitors to the galleries and the city.”
Philip Long, director of V&A at Dundee, added: “The artistic giants of the 20th century Matisse, Picasso, Dali and Warhol took printmaking and really reinvented it as a new and very vital way of expression.
“Each of these artists’ approach to printmaking was highly distinctive but all used the medium to drive forward the development of their work as well as to create individual masterpieces.
“Modern Masters is a fabulous opportunity to see both well-known and less familiar works by the four outstanding talents of modern art.”
The exhibition will run from August 23 to November 17 at The McManus.