Copy and monotype at the Kunstmuseum Basel
Published: Tuesday, Dec 12th 2023, 12:00
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The Kunstmuseum Basel is presenting copy and monotype works from Impressionism to the present day. The terms refer to special printing techniques that each produce only one reproduced copy.
Pop artist Andy Warhol celebrated printing and reproduction not only as a technique, but also as a principle of content. His famous screen prints bear witness to this, as do works that are less well known. For example, the copy of a drawing of a woman made around 1953/1954 with the meaningful title "Woman".
A copy is a special printing technique that produces only one reproduced copy. It involves a hand drawing on paper that is printed or copied onto another paper using ink or charcoal that has not yet dried out. With his copy of a drawing, Warhol deliberately gave the impression of a serial production.
In monotype, on the other hand, the ink is applied by hand or with a brush to a smooth printing surface, such as glass. When printing on paper, it is never quite clear how much color will be applied and in what form. The results can be delightfully blurred dream images, such as the "Deux Baigneuses" by Camille Pissarro from 1894 on display.
A mixture of intent and coincidence
This interplay of deliberate design and accidental result lends the monotype its special charm, writes the Kunstmuseum Basel in a statement about the exhibition. This one-off printing technique was particularly popular with the Impressionists and Surrealists, but is also capable of captivating contemporary artists.
The exhibition in the Kupferstichkabinett of the Kunstmuseum Basel comprises around 50 prints and monotypes from the museum's own collection and loans from private collections. On display are works by Impressionists such as Edgar Degas and Camille Pissarro, representatives of modernism such as Hans Arp and Andy Warhol, and contemporaries such as Zilla Leutenegger and Renée Levi.
The exhibition "Einmalig - Monotypie und Abklatsch" in the main building of the Kunstmuseum Basel can be seen until April 14, 2024.
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