Hockney to Himid - 60 Years of British Printmaking

From an early etching by David Hockney created in 1961 while he was still a student at the Royal College of Art, to Lubaina Himid's poetic response to lockdown in 2020 titled 'Birdsong Held Us Together', this book spans the last 60 years of printmaking in Britain. More than 100 artists are represented, including Edward Bawden, Enid Marx, Peter Blake, Barbara Hepworth, Lucian Freud, Paula Rego, Grayson Perry, Tracey Emin, Chris Ofili and many more. Emerging from the post-war period, printmaking underwent a marked elevation in status and transition from specialist medium to one widely adopted by some of the foremost names in contemporary art. This book charts how Britain emerged from the post-war years and thrived in the early 1960s, navigated the social changes of the 1970s and 1980s, and saw the ascendency of contemporary British art from the 1990s to the present day. From wood engravings and etchings to lithographs and screenprints, the versatility of the printmaking medium has enabled artists to expand their practice to explore new possibilities. The works featured are all drawn from Pallant House Gallery's extensive collection of over 2,500 prints. The majority included here have been selected from The Golder - Thompson Gift, a unique twenty-year partnership between the Gallery and two collectors: Mark Golder and Brian Thompson. Showcasing a wide range of artists, styles and techniques, this book celebrates the extraordinary upsurge of printmaking in Britain from the 1960s to now.