Quality & Experiment. The Prints of John Piper – A Catalogue Raisonné
John Piper (1903-92) was unquestionably one of the most versatile British artists of the twentieth century. A great admirer of Picasso, he was at the cutting edge of many elements of the British art scene.
Although best known for his paintings, Piper has achieved the highest respect for his works in stained glass and ceramics, his stage, set and costume designs, art-critical writings, and his large corpus of prints. The prints are innovative, lively and continuously challenge the medium.
This book is the first catalogue of Piper’s entire graphic work to be published, and completes the record started by Orde Levinson’s 1987 catalogue raissone of Piper’s prints. This new updated catalogue incorporates prints produced between 1987 and Piper’s death in 1992, as well as newly discovered earlier prints. All works are illustrated (with all colour works reproduced in colour), and the corpus of prints includes etchings, aquatints, wood engravings, lithographs and screenprints.
In order to show the importance of the prints in the wider context of Piper’s life and work, Order Levinson has included a short essay on Piper’s prints; biographical notes; and lists of Piper’s designs for stage sets, stained glass and tapestries, which often relate to his prints. The reference material is now certainly the most comprehensive ever compiled on Piper, and allows the reader to survey the development of his artistic concerns.
This is the definitive study of the prints of John Piper, and will enable all readers to appreciate his mastery anew.
Information
Quality & Experiment. The Prints of John Piper – A Catalogue Raisonné Lund Humphries, 1996. Hardback. 192 pages, 472 illustrations.
