Three Centuries of American Prints from the National Gallery of Art

Since opening in 1941, the Gallery has amassed an outstanding collection of American prints representing the history of American art from the early 18th century to the present. Timed to coincide with the Gallery's 75th anniversary, this first comprehensive exhibition of American prints to encompass three centuries will highlight some 160 works from the Gallery's collection, from John Simon's Four Indian Kings (1710) to Kara Walker's no world (2010).

Whether you go or not, if you are interested in this subject, you might enjoy American Drawings and Prints: From Benjamin West to Edward Hopper, a retrospective of nearly 100 works by the nation's notable artists. Ranging from the colonial era to the early 20th- century, it features drawings by anonymous folk artists as well as such famous figures as Whistler, Homer, Cassatt, Stuart Davis, Rockwell Kent, and Yasuo Kuniyoshi. Includes images of skyscrapers, smokestacks, traffic, and other urban scenes; lithographs of landscapes and country vignettes; a series of portraits includes a chalk drawing by John Singleton Copley. as well as a study by Thomas Eakins for his masterpiece, The Gross Clinic. The anthology concludes with an appealing selection of folk and fantasy art, inspired by scenes from mythology, Shakespeare, and the Bible.