Joan Mitchell
Bedford III
1981
Lithograph
42 1/2 x 32 1/2 in.
Edition of 70
Pencil signed and numbered

About the work:

Joan Mitchell is one of the great American artists of the 20th century. A “second generation” abstract expressionist, she was one of the few women to gain critical and public acclaim. While best known for her work as a painter, she also dedicated herself to the creation of prints, often collaborating with Tyler Graphics studio, which at the time was located in Bedford, NY.

This week’s Work of the Week! WOW! is Mitchell’s Bedford III, from the Bedford series (a series of 3 works).

Ken Tyler the founder of Tyler Graphics had approached Mitchell about collaborating together. He was interested in the challenge of capturing her painterly vision through the process of lithography. The partnership resulted in a number of series of works, including Bedford, named after the location of the studio.

The writer Barbara Rose described the lithographs being as “concerned with calling attention explicitly to the nature of the medium. The greasiness, grittiness and oiliness of the lithographic crayon and the quicksilver liquidity of the tusche are as much the ‘subjects’ of her lithographs as the loaded brushstroke is the ‘subject’ of her paintings.

Bedford articulates a landscape distilled by the artist’s eye and skill, but also brings forth the vigor and assertiveness of Mitchell’s work.

The Baltimore Museum of Art and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art have recently revealed plans for a Joan Mitchell retrospective slated to open in 2020.