Author Description

Prints, books and multiples have long played a vital role in the vanguard of European contemporary art. From London to Moscow, artists have expanded the scope of their creative vision--and expanded their audiences--through striking and inventive uses of the printing press, the silkscreen and now electronic media. Beginning with the explosion of mass production techniques in the early 1960s and continuing with innovative projects by young artists working today, this comprehensive catalogue identifies significant developments in printed art over the past 45 years, offering the first fully synthesized analysis of this fertile period in European printmaking. Thematic chapters follow topics anchored by leading figures like Georg Baselitz, Joseph Beuys, Daniel Buren, Richard Hamilton, Damien Hirst, Sigmar Polke, Gerhard Richter, Bridget Riley and Dieter Roth. In addition to a unifying analytical introduction, each section of Eye on Europe includes an essay and color illustrations, making for a total of more than 290 images by more than 120 artists. Along with a thorough chronology of the period and biographies of the artists and publishers included, the publication also incorporates two original artists' projects.