Leonard Baskin (American, 1922-2000). "Angel of Death" woodcut on paper, 1959. Artist's signature and title handwritten in pencil beneath image. An extremely large woodcut by legendary artist Leonard Baskin entitled "Angel of Death". Baskin was a creative force for more than 5 decades and worked in a variety of media; however, he is best known for sizeable woodcuts like this example. "Angel of Death" is rendered in Baskin's characteristically intense manner and enormous scale. It is among Baskin's figurative prints that rivaled the works of Abstract Expressionists during his day, set in a custom frame and hand signed. Size of frame: 38.25" W x 68" H (97.2 cm x 172.7 cm). Size of art: 30" W x 62" H (76.2 cm x 157.5 cm)
Leonard Baskin was a 20th century "Renaissance Man" if you will; he was a highly respected sculptor, printmaker, writer, and watercolorist. His prints included mythological, classical, and biblical scenes as well as portraits and floral studies. Baskin studied at Yale University from 1941 to 1943 and received his B.A. at the New School for Social Research in 1949. He also founded Gehenna Press which specialized in fine book production and taught printmaking and sculpture at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts as well as Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts from 1953 until 1974. Baskin's artworks are in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, the Vatican Museum, the Smithsonian Institute, the Tate Gallery in London, and other elite institutions. "Angel of Death" has been collected by the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art among others (accession numbers 1971.300, 1971.25, and 1961-157-4 respectively). His noted public sculptural commissions include pieces for the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial as well as the Holocaust Memorial in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Baskin also received many prestigious honors, such as a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Gold Medal of the National Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Jewish Cultural Achievement Award. He was also honored with numerous retrospective exhibitions at institutions including the Smithsonian Museum, the Albertina Museum, and the Library of Congress.
Provenance: ex-private Bishop Family Trust collection, the Trust of the late Bill Bishop, a noted antiquarian with shops in Scottsdale, Arizona and Allenspark, Colorado, USA, acquired before 2010
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#172880
Condition
Signed and titled by the artist in pencil beneath the image. Woodcut is set in a custom matte and frame behind glass and has not been examined outside the frame. This said it appears to be in very good condition save slight age wear. Minor scuffs to frame. A few tears to the gallery paper on the verso that do not impact the image. Wired for suspension and ready to display.