The Serial Impulse at Gemini G.E.L.

Often times when we hear the words "artist print" or "fine art print" we think of those fairly inexpensive copies of paintings you might find in a museum gift shop or art gallery. I'm here to clarify that the works on display in LACMA's exhibition "The Serial Impulse at Gemini G.E.L." are much more than that. In fact, let's call those gift shop artworks what they really are: reproductions. So what makes the prints in this exhibition any different?

A series of prints by Josef Albers.
Gemini G.E.L.'s very first edition.

First off, I should explain what or rather who, Gemini G.E.L. are (G.E.L. stands for Graphic Editions Limited). Gemini opened in 1966 as a printmaking shop here in Los Angeles with the vision and foresight to offer top tier services by making their space available to some of the best working artists by invite only. And that's exactly what they did. Celebrated artists like Josef Albers, Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein, Susan Rothenberg, and even more recently Julie Mehretu, have all worked alongside master printmakers at Gemini G.E.L. to conceive original print editions through often innovative printmaking techniques that have sought to overcome any challenges with scale or execution.

This exhibition features 15 artists and series of works in total, some of whom i mentioned earlier. Much of the artwork employs lithography for execution, but some screen printing, and even woodblock printing processes can be found amongst the mix. Whatever the technique or process, it's quite apparent that Gemini G.E.L. and their printmakers are keen to choose the best approach to solve any and all project obstacles and to deliver the highest quality prints possible. They mention on their website that they've never said "no" or turned away an idea because it didn't seem possible.

Detail of a Baldessari print. Possible CMYK
separation screen printing process used?

Visually, I'm always a sucker for the strange and intriguing ways John Baldessari pairs found imagery in unusual ways to allow new narratives and relationships to form from appropriated material. These works were a combination of lithography and screen printing and dazzled me with the clean and slick appearance of the photographic imagery. Hats off to the master printmaker for a seemingly flawless registration on these works!

Another long time favorite and highlight of the exhibition were the works by Robert Rauschenberg. "Booster, 1967" was the largest art print ever created at the time and showcases Rauschenberg's amazing creativity and knack for collaging disparate elements into beautiful works of art. "Booster" is also accompanied by 7 studies. Some of the images found in the studies made their way into the life size  "Booster".

Robert Rauschenberg "Booster, 1967"

Without a doubt this is a show that every printmaker, artist, or art admirer should see.This exhibition will only be on display until January 2, 2017 so if you have an opportunity to visit LACMA I highly recommend it. It's not often that you get to see fine art prints presented in such a manner that allows you a deeper appreciation for the skill and knowledge required of printmakers and the printmaking process in general. And if great art wasn't enough, not terribly far away is one of the best Peruvian restaurants around: Mario's Peruvian & Seafood! Make a day of it and there's no way you an go wrong!



-Wes Hardesty