Celebrating the Hidden Talent of Printmaking: Manet to Picasso in Bath

A unique exhibition is opening in the English West Country, focusing on the printmaking skills of renowned artists like Édouard Manet, Vincent van Gogh, and Paul Gauguin. Beyond Impressionism: Printmaking from Manet to Picasso features over 50 prints, created mainly by impressionists, post-impressionists, and cubists.

The exhibition aims to showcase how artists primarily known for their paintings also played a significant role in reviving printmaking, which had fallen out of fashion by the mid-19th century. Chris Stephens, the director of the Holburne Museum, said: “We’re beyond excited to be bringing such a range of major artists here. The paintings of the impressionists are so familiar, but we seem to forget that the same generation of artists, and their successors, radically changed printmaking.”

The exhibition includes works by Rembrandt, Goya, and other famous artists, highlighting their contributions to printmaking. Stephens got the idea for the show when he saw some Gauguin woodcuts at the Frieze Masters international art fair in London. “I was struck by their sense of immediacy,” he said.

Printmaking allowed artists to experiment with new techniques and collaborate with each other. The inherently collaborative nature of printmaking fostered the exchange of ideas among artists of the day. They also looked towards the great printmakers of Japan for inspiration.

The exhibition features a range of pieces, including etchings by James McNeill Whistler and lithographs by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Visitors will be able to view Van Gogh’s Gardener By an Apple Tree, a scene he observed and sketched while visiting a retirement home.

Beyond Impressionism: Printmaking from Manet to Picasso runs from 23 May to 13 September.