Current Exhibition: ROLLING STONES

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About this exhibition

Susan Sheehan Gallery is pleased to present ROLLING STONES: MAKING LITHOGRAPHS, featuring master prints by David Hockney, Jasper Johns, Ellsworth Kelly, Joan Mitchell, Barnett Newman, Robert Rauschenberg, Edward Ruscha and Cy Twombly.
  
Lithography is based on the core principle that oil repels water. An artist draws an image on a smooth matrix traditionally made of limestone, or more recently, metal plates. Their medium must be oil-based, such as lithographic crayon or liquid drawing tusche. When ink is applied to the chosen matrix, it sticks only to the drawn image. Completing a lithograph is labor-intensive and technically complex, so artists and printers often form creative partnerships during the process.   

In 1967, Leo Castelli suggested that Robert Rauschenberg collaborate with experimental printer Kenneth Tyler at Gemini G.E.L. in Los Angeles. Using an X-ray of his body taken in six parts, an astrological chart, and images of unrelated objects like power tools, Rauschenberg took the opportunity to capture a portrait of mankind, and himself, in a pivotal moment of history. The result was Booster, the largest fine art lithograph ever made at the time of publication.

Ed Ruscha printed City and Blood Boiling, Fly during a prolific two-month fellowship at Los Angeles’ Tamarind Lithography Workshop in 1969. Together with Tamarind founder June Wayne and printer Robert Rogers, Ruscha sought to explore his “romance with liquids” and fascination with language from a new perspective. These two lithographs demonstrate Ruscha’s mastery of hyperrealism achieved by a newfound use of trompe l’oeil techniques in his lithography. 

In 1981, Joan Mitchell began working with Kenneth Tyler. Mitchell was known for her emotional expressionism and experimentation with color, so Tyler suggested she draw on Mylar sheets so they could layer, rearrange, and remove elements of a work as desired. Flower I, part of the Bedford Series, exemplifies how Tyler’s flexibility in the studio allowed Mitchell to embrace her own creative process through a full range of print techniques for the first time.

David Hockney once said, “I draw flowers every day and send them to my friends so they get fresh blooms every morning.” Highlights of the exhibition include two of the artist’s monumental still lifes: Black Tulips and Potted Daffodils. These monochromatic lithographs demonstrate the artist’s command of atmospheric effects, such as light and shading, made possible through Ken Tyler’s technical expertise. Hockney and Tyler maintained a close relationship since they met in 1965, and Hockney is the only artist who worked with Tyler in all four of his workshops.

ROLLING STONES: MAKING LITHOGRAPHS is on view at Susan Sheehan Gallery until July 7, 2026.