Sky Blue Sky: Print Media by Matthew Tyson
April 4 – June 24, 2013
Opening Reception on Saturday, April 6th from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
At the Riverside Art Museum
For more information, visit www.riversideartmuseum.org
Riverside CA – The Riverside Art Museum (RAM) presents Sky Blue Sky, an exhibition of contemporary print media and artists’ books, running from April 4 through June 24, 2013, with a free opening reception on Saturday, April 6th from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Sky Blue Sky includes original prints and books by British artist Matthew Tyson, whose studio, imprints, is based out of southeastern France. Several new works created in response to pieces from RAM’s Permanent Collection during an artist’s residency in Riverside will also be shown and have never before been exhibited.
Tyson incorporates the rich history and architectural style of the RAM building into his new work in order to create an exhibition that equally celebrates his own artistic accomplishments and a contemporary interpretation on the RAM building’s history. Imprints books and prints can be found in public collections around the world, including: Victoria & Albert Museum (London), Tate Gallery (London), Musée Nationale d’Art Moderne (Paris), Bibliothèque Nationale de France (Paris), Museum of Modern Art (New York City), and the New York Public Library, amongst many others.
“We are pleased to continue RAM’s tradition of exhibiting prints and works on paper by sharing the art of Matthew Tyson,” said RAM Executive Director Drew Oberjuerge.
Second-generation British printmaker Matthew Tyson founded imprints studio in 1984 to promote and publish artists’ books and prints. Isabella Oulton joined him in 1991, the same year that the couple moved to Piégros, La Clastre in southeastern France. imprints has published books and prints by many international artists and writers, including: François Morellet, Bruce McLean, Jerome Rothenberg, Gottfried Honegger, Antoine Emaz, David Rabinowitch, Heiner Thiel, Stephen Chambers, and Jacques Jouet. imprints works with artists and writers on a collaborative basis using relief printing and etching facilities at the imprints studio in the Drôme region of France.
“Matthew has become very invested in learning about the RAM building’s history and some specific areas of our collection,” said RAM Exhibit Liaison Kathryn Poindexter. “Like so many artists we’ve worked with, he’s discovered aspects of our history that very much connect to his own canon of personal artistic influences.”
Tyson has worked closely with Poindexter, who has curated the exhibition, to select several pieces from the museum’s collection that connect with Tyson’s artistic influences (including British Romantic painter J.M.W. Turner and Japanese Ukiyo-e artist Ando Hiroshige) and the history and architecture of the RAM building, which was originally designed by Julia Morgan in 1929 as a Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA).
The selected collection pieces include 19th century prints after Turner, 16th century ornamental engravings by Daniel and Lambert Hopfer, 18th century architectural prints by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, a 16th century woodcut by Hans Weiditz the Younger, and a 19th century Hiroshige woodblock print. These collection pieces will be on display alongside the new works Tyson will create in response to them during his two-week residency in Riverside, as well as older collaborative works by Tyson. Tyson will also integrate the specific history of the exhibition’s gallery (which was formerly an indoor swimming pool) by creating an artistic representation of where the pool originally existed. For more information, visit www.riversideartmuseum.org.
RAM relies on the generosity of members and donors to support its exhibitions, education programs, and special events. A 50-plus-year-old, private, non-profit cultural arts institution housed in a National Historic 1929 building designed by Hearst Castle architect Julia Morgan, the museum welcomes over 50,000 visitors a year. The museum is open Tuesday – Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Sunday, 12:00 noon – 4:00 p.m. For information on exhibits, events, classes, memberships, or sponsorship opportunities, visit www.RiversideArtMuseum.org. Find us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/riversideartmuseum) and Twitter (RAMRiverside).