Prints from the Tamarind Lithography Workshop in Los Angeles: The First Decade
Prints from the Tamarind Lithography Workshop in Los Angeles: The First Decade is an exhibition of sixty two works from the workshop's first decade in Los Angeles (1960-1970). The exhibition features the work of seventeen artists, including Josef Albers, Billy Al Bengston, Richard Diebenkorn, Sam Francis, Louise Nevelson, Ed Ruscha, and June Wayne.
Despite the flourishing of printmaking in American art at mid-century, the practice of lithography and the role of the master printer in particular, were moribund. The Tamarind Project, created in 1960, made its focus the revival of this art form. Foremost was the training of master printers, who were then brought together to collaborate with mature artists. As a result, the roles of the artist and printer were defined anew, and master printers could emerge as valued professionals in their own right. The Tamarind project succeeded spectacularly in this effort, with the result that artists, students, and scholars of fine prints have come to its workshops from around the world to learn the art of lithography from Tamarind and its alumni.