Jim Dine Prints From the Kennedy Museum of Art at Ohio University

Jim Dine’s lengthy artistic career has seen him experiment with a variety of media and processes, from painting and sculpture to performance art. One of America’s most renowned contemporary artists, he has been particularly captivated by the variety of techniques found in the printmaking field and has produced approximately 1,000 prints during the course of more than five decades.

Dine first started his study of printmaking at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, where he completed his undergraduate degree in 1957. Following a year of graduate study in Athens, Dine moved to New York City where he experimented with performance art and “Happenings” at a number of galleries. His paintings began to include images of everyday objects, a characteristic that inspired critics to link him with the Pop Art movement (though Dine always resented that association). His work was soon featured in leading New York galleries and museums, including Sidney Janis Gallery and the Guggenheim Museum.

Dine was introduced to master printer Tatyana Grosman of Universal Limited Art Editions in 1962 by fellow artist Jasper Johns, and this began a series of collaborations with accomplished print shops throughout the world. Recurring images began to appear in his work, including tools, brushes, hearts and robes, all of which were tied to personal memories and inspiration. Dine became engaged in a constant push against the perceived limits of printmaking, and his resulting images were astonishing in terms of scale and visual impact.

The group of prints that will be on view at HMA was a gift from the artist to the Kennedy Museum of Art at Ohio University that followed a solo exhibition of his work in Athens in 2011. Many of the works range in height from 6 to 8 feet and showcase the exceptional results that Dine and his printers achieved in the production of the prints. Mixing a variety of processes in the execution of the work, Dine’s prints are done using woodcut, etching, and lithography along with the artist’s alterations that include sawing, carving and hand coloring.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.