The Serial Impulse at Gemini G.E.L. exhibition presents a selection of 15 fine artists’ printmaking series that were produced and published by printmaker, Gemini G.E.L. Contemporary artists were intrigued by the creative opportunities offered by the 1960s movement of mass production of prints and multiples that Gemini G.E.L. provided. Gemini’s innovative printmaking invitations for fine artists to work collaboratively alongside lithographers in Gemini G.E.L.’s Los Angeles print shop was a refreshing take on graphic experimentation.

This temporary exhibition celebrates 50 years serial format fine art printmaking of works created by the likes of Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Frank Stella, Richard Serra and Julie Mehretu.

Below is a sampling of what is currently on display at LACMA:

Roy Lichtenstein’s Expressionist Woodcuts (1980) as printed by Master Printer, James Reid, showcases Lichtenstein’s application of his personal pop aesthetic to thematic elements of German Expressionist paintings and prints that influenced him at the time.

This larger than life series of Richard Serra’s Transversals (2004) as printed by Master Printer, Xavier Fumat, wherein Serra experimented with his usual steel sculptural etching style through the printmaking process, took awhile for me to admire. Readers, it fully encompassed one gallery wall! I later learned that Serra’s collaboration with Gemini, who created specialized equipment to convey the traditional medium of etching through the tactile texture of paper substrates, aided in Serra’s artistic exploration of Transversals density and weight, typically found on his steel sculptural works, on paper/print medium.

Myriads, Only by Dark (2014) by Ethiopian artist, Julie Mehretu, and produced by Master Printer, Case Hudson of Gemini G.E.L., displays Mehretu’s exploration of who she was ethnographically through the use of historical homages to prehistoric cave paintings, migration and population, as well as through graphic representations of the human body.

Impressive serial works created by the likes of Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg and Frank Stella are also on display here.

However, these colorful series were my personal favorites:

Painted Wall Sculptures (1982) by Ellsworth Kelly (Peter Carlson, Fabricator at Gemini G.E.L.) comprises of eleven panels of repeated colors and shape to create six distinct trapezoids.

White Line Squares (1966) by Bauhaus-trained abstract artist, Josef Albers (Kenneth Tyler, Master Printer), was Gemini G.E.L.’s first published series edition.

Gemini G.E.L. is recognized as one of the world’s top print publishers of fine art to this day. Check out the impressive gallery display of this collection of “series” while it is at LACMA, now until January 2, 2017. You will see why fine artists to this day work collaboratively with Gemini G.E.L. in creating beautiful prints.

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The Serial Impulse at Gemini G.E.L.
September 11, 2016–January 2, 2017
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Resnick Pavilion
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323-857-6000
http://www.lacma.org/art/exhibition/serial-impulse
The Serial Impulse at Gemini G.E.L. is included with General Admission Fare.

Gemini G.E.L. Workshop and Gallery
8365 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90069
323-651-0513
http://www.geminigel.com
Gallery Showcasing Prints and Sculptures are Open to the Public
Hours: Monday – Friday 9:00 – 5:30; Saturday by Appointment

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