Dürer, Rembrandt, Goya, Picasso, Warhol, and More—National Museum of Wildlife Art to Exhibit “Out of the Shadows: Prints from the Permanent Collection!”
October 28, 2024Jackson, WY: The National Museum of Wildlife Art (NMWA) will open Out of the Shadows: Prints from the Permanent Collection on Saturday, November 2, 2024. While many of the works in this show may be small in size, they are created by some of the biggest names in the canon of art history, from Dürer and Rembrandt to Goya, Picasso, and Warhol. This exhibition explores the print medium and why wildlife has been such a prevalent subject throughout history. The show will be on view through April 27, 2025.
In the most basic sense, prints are artworks made by pressing ink from a hard surface onto a softer surface, like paper or fabric. Printing on paper with wooden blocks, the earliest type of printmaking, was invented in China around 700 CE. “Prints revolutionized art. In medieval Europe, prior to the widespread adoption of printmaking, art was generally confined to elite spaces such as palaces and religious buildings. Most people only encountered a handful of images in their lifetimes, and these were usually the illustrations of religious scenes at their local church. Prints democratized art. They made it possible for hundreds, or even thousands, of people to share in the experience of seeing the same image—allowing people at all levels of society to access new ideas and the work of great artists,” says Associate Curator of Art Kennis Forte, PhD.
Beginning with the print Penitent St. Jerome in the Wilderness by the artist Albrecht Dürer, this exhibit moves through the centuries, with prints made by artists such as Rembrandt and Picasso, ending with Andy Warhol’s Endangered Species series and other modern works. The focus will center on a discussion about methods of printmaking and the impact printed works have had through the messages they conveyed, which include issues surrounding animal rights and conservation. All artworks included in this exhibition are from the permanent collection. “Some of these prints have never been exhibited at the Museum, and others have seldom been seen. It has been so interesting to compare the different methods and styles of artists such as Albrecht Dürer, John James Audubon, and one of my personal favorites, Andy Warhol, as well as bringing to light their varied perceptions about wildlife,” says Curator of Art Tammi Hanawalt, PhD.
Compared to oil paintings and sculptures, works on paper are much more sensitive to light. As a result, the Museum adheres to strict schedules for rotating these works off-view and resting them. “The title ‘Out of the Shadows’ is a play on words referencing the fact that many of these works have been kept in the dark for years for their own safety,” says Chief Marketing Officer Madison Webb Stanko. “It also alludes to the importance of shading in early printmaking methods, when images were created from the play of light and dark and the interplay of shadow. Prior to the introduction of color printmaking techniques, all prints were black and white. The show will take visitors on a journey out of the shadows and into the bold technicolor world of modern printmaking,” says Webb Stanko.
Out of the Shadows: Prints from the Permanent Collection is generously sponsored by Roberta & Steven Denning, The Faversham Family, In Memory of Jack Fritz, Karen & Craig Kennedy, McCrea Foundation, Linda & Don Pennell, Singleton Peery, and the Wyoming Arts Council.