Etchings & Lithographs of American Life, 1905-1943

Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975). Planting, 1939. Lithograph. Collection of Charlie & Susan Murray.

Throughout the early to mid 20th century, many artists worked to capture the everyday lives of citizens in response to several art and cultural movements, including American Regionalism and Post Modernism, as well as the Great Depression. Printmaking through etchings and lithographs allowed artists the freedom to create multiples of these images, comparing and contrasting rural and urban life in America and revealing issues surrounding poverty, wealth, agriculture, rapid industrial development, and surveillance. Etchings & Lithographs of American Life features a private collection of prints that explore these themes by prominent American artists Thomas Hart Benton, John French Sloan, Grant Wood, and Carl E. Pickardt, Jr. Special thanks to Charlie & Susan Murray for making this exhibition possible.