Page 67 - Studio International - December1996
P. 67
December 1966 Supplement
Lithographs and original prints
Publishers who saw the potential of a neglected market; artists who have employed new media with
conspicuous success i printers who appeared at the right moment-these are some of the factors
which have led to the remarkable revival of p�int-making in Britain.
This first supplement describes some of the organizations and galleries responsible for the revival,
and lists galleries in London and the Provinces which deal in lithographs and original prints.
Marlborough Prints the money. They also argue that prints are a useful
and highly efficient means of publicizing the work of
The Marlborough turned to print publishing two years their artists. ·They reac'h more people and establish
aoo and this side of their business continues to expand. reputations more quickly than paintings. The Marl
Of all the galleries they were in a unique position to do borough emphasize that they are selling original works
this, for any print business needs enormous resource� of art. Their artists are in no way simply reproducing
of capital, expert knowledge and extra staff simply to in their prints what they usually do in their paintings.
get off the ground. The Marlborough have the r� Each image is conceived in .terms of the process in
sources and they also have the artists, a daunting list which it will be reproduced; the completed print there
in fact of people now rnaking prints for them, and they fore expresses the artist's aims more entirely than the
also have the international machinery to enable them to sketch or design and is therefore the original. Some
sell and distribute throughout the world. The branches of the Marlborough artists are now working at print
in Rome and New York also publish prints and each r(laking to a much greater extent. Kitaj, for example,
branch distributes all prints as a matter of course. All now works almost exclusively at screen printing and
organize touring exhibitions and sell to other galleries. anyone wanting an original Kitaj today will probably
Essentially they are not a retail org.anization. Like have to settle for a print, because he has forsaken
Alecto, the Marlborough regard themselves primarily painting almost entirely.
as publish�rs. There is, however, a small print gallery As publishers the Marlborough contract to pay the
at the New London which does sell to the general artist an agreed fee for a series of prints. They organize
public. Unlike Alecto, however, the Marlborough is not the print-making facilities for the artist and employ
interested in bulk orders and does not sell in large the printers. They do not, however, have the sort of
numbers to institutions. They actually discour-age the 'on the premises' facilities that Alecto have. All their
buying by one person of many examples of one print. screen printing is done by Chris Prater of Kelpra
There are two sides to their print activities. In the first Studios who works exclusively for them and Alecto.
place they are able to sell prints to people who cannot Some of the most outstanding prints of the last few
afford paintings. In this way they stimulate and culti years h'ave come from his workshops in the East End
vate a taste for original works of art and hope that, of London a111d he is generally acknowledged to be the
particularly in the case of young people, those who best screen-printer-in the world. Jon Locke
now buy prints will turn to paintings when they have Marlborough Prints are at 39 Old Bond Street, W.1
Frontiers of Printmaking
MICHAEL ROTHENSTEIN
'A pioneer in the world of printmaking, breaking away from the conventional matrices.
Rothenstein's most recent book, Frontiers of Printmaking. is most stimulating and should
keep the graphics artist bursting with ideas. It is published by Studio Vista, and the design
of the book itself is an excellent example of good design-and well worth three guineas'
Richard Gainsborough. Arts Review. 200 illustrations-8 in colour 63s
Studio Vista limited, Blue Star House, Highgate HIii. London N19
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