Portrait in Print Collection
The Foundation is very fortunate to have received a magnificent collection of art prints as a gift from Mary and Charles Liebman. The Portrait in Print Collection, the largest part of the college's permanent art collection, is exhibited in the college library and in selected areas across the college.
The initial donation arrived at MCC in 1990 and consisted of 100 prints. Forty more prints were added between 1990 and '92. The Liebmans have continued to donate more work to the collection, which now includes more than 200 prints.
The collection of prints is impressive, not only in quantity, but also in quality. Both the subjects represented and the styles of the artists are quite diverse. Some of the more recognizable names of artists represented in the collection are Edouard Manet, Salvador Dali, Paul Cezanne, Fritz Eichenberg, Toulouse Latrec, and Andy Warhol.
At first glance, the works appear as a series of portraits—upon a closer look, an outstanding history of artists, scientists and humanitarians. Mrs. Liebman chose to collect portraits in particular because of the added dimension of historical interest inherent in a portrait. It is her hope that people will enjoy these prints as art, but, also, that viewers will be moved to learn more about the people they portray.
The collection of prints also presents a comprehensive view of printmaking as a fine art medium by including many excellent examples of intaglio, lithography, woodcut and serigraphy. Printmaking is a very old art form; and is a time - consuming and demanding technique. Reproduction has made it possible for the masses to enjoy the work of great artists, whose work has been reproduced in print form. An "original" or fine art print means one of a small edition produced by the artist. Many of the prints have numbers on them such as 17/100, which means that the artist made just 100 impressions, of which the one you are looking is number 17. After the artist numbers and signs each impression, the plate (intaglio or etching) or woodblock (in woodcut) or stone (lithography) is usually destroyed. This is a completely different procedure from printing, which mechanically produced editions of thousands, and it explains the higher value of original prints in the art market.
Intaglio - any printmaking technique in which lines and areas
to be inked and transferred to the paper are recessed below the
surface of the printing plate. Etching, engraving, drypoint and
aquatint are all intaglio processes.
Lithography - a printing technique based on the aversion
of oil to water; the image is drawn with a grease pencil or painted
with tusche on a stone or grained aluminum plate. The surface is
chemically treated and dampened so that it will accept ink only
where the grease pencil or tusche has been used.
Woodcut - a type of relief print made from an image that is left raised on a block of wood.
Serigraphy - a technique in which stencils are applied to fabric stretched across a frame. Paint or ink is forced with a squeegee through the unblocked portions of the screen onto paper or other surface below.
In regard to the future direction of the print collection, Mrs. Liebman is pursuing more representation in the area of women and minorities as subjects. Also, we are pursuing avenues for the collection, or at least a portion of the collection, to travel to other institutions.
Just as the Liebman Print Collection has grown, we seek the continued growth of the permanent collection through acquisitions and donations. We invite your inquiries.