Ken Tyler, Master Printer, and the American Print Renaissance

After studying printmaking at the legendary Tamarind Lithography Workshop, Tyler went on to establish his Gemini studio in Los Angeles. There he attracted such artists as Albers, Johns, Rauschenberg and Pop stars Oldenburg and Lichtenstein, all of whom made this printer-publisher a collaborator in their graphic explorations. Clarity and precision are the hallmarks of Tyler's craft. Some critics are cool toward what they characterize as his industrial mass-production esthetic or flashy Hollywood manufacture. But in this warm, intimate portrait Gilmour argues that critics overlook the traditional values, fine-tuning and craftsmanship of Tyler's prints. Tyler now has a workshop near New York City where, over the past few years, he has expanded the printer's role as a catalyst in executing mixed-media prints, ambitious large-scale images and experimental lithographs. Among recent works are Hockney's color drawings that echo Chinese paintings and Stella's multicolored baroque swirls. More than half of the 115 plates included here are in color. (February 24)