Richard Tuttle: A Print Retrospective

Though Richard Tuttle began as a printmaker over 50 years ago, a major retrospective of his prints has not been exhibited until this year. “Richard Tuttle: A Print Retrospective” will display over 100 prints by Tuttle, curated by Christina von Rotenhan and Joachim Homann. The exhibition at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art this summer will include Tuttle’s work form the 1970s through the present.

“Printmaking has been an integral part of Richard Tuttle’s artistic practice from the very beginning and this exhibition will invite audiences to look closely and discover the startling poetry inherent in his prints,” explains von Rotenhan.

Tuttle created several books throughout his career, most notably Interlude, a series of 12 lithographs. The perforated edges of the paper allow for the viewer to take out and frame a single print, or leave the narrative visual intact. Tuttle, who studied English and philosophy at Trinity College, is deeply interested in the intersection between literature and art. He also collaborated with his wife and poet Mei-Mei Berssenbrugge to create another book, which merges poetry and printmaking.

“In his prints, Tuttle demonstrates his deep interest in printmaking as a collaborative experience, which for him becomes a metaphor for social interaction and exchange,” explains Homann.

Tuttle has explored a wide variety of printmaking techniques, including etching, woodblock and lithography, while challenging the process of printmaking itself.  “Printmaking offers Tuttle a vital area of experimentation and enables him to question how an image occupies both the real and the illusionary—he’s constantly exploiting and expanding the possibilities of the medium,” says von Rotenhan.

“Richard Tuttle: A Print Retrospective” will be on view at Bowdoin College Museum of Art June 26 through October 19.