LACMA to celebrate art and printmaking publisher


Since 1966, Gemini G.E.L. in Los Angeles has served as a center of invention and creativity in the world of printmaking, producing groundbreaking works of prints highly sought after by art lovers. For Gemini’s 50th anniversary, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art is collaborating with Gemini as well as the National Gallery of Art to put up The Serial Impulse at Gemini G.E.L. exhibition at LACMA.

Many of the works displayed have rarely been seen in their entirety, so this exhibition will allow visitors to appreciate serial works as a whole. The exhibit will celebrate the accomplishments of Gemini G.E.L. in the past half century as well as acknowledge its influence in the world of art.

Gemini G.E.L. was founded in 1966 by USC alumni Sidney B. Felsen and Stanley Grinstein, along with Kenneth Tyler and co-owners Elyse Grinstein and Rosamund Felsen. While they started out with only a lithography studio, Gemini G.E.L. soon expanded to working with etching, screen printing and woodcut printing, as well as any three dimensional materials the artists desired at the time. Gemini has worked with over 70 artists over the course of 50 years and is known for keeping artists in workshops for long periods of times.

Visitors of LACMA will have the chance to view The Serial Impulse at Gemini G.E.L from Sept. 11, 2016 to Jan. 2, 2017. The exhibit will consist of 17 complete series of serial works by different artists. The time period of the works range from as early as 1966 with Josef Albers’ series “White Line Squares” to Julie Mehretu’s “Myriads, Only by Dark” in 2014. Other prominent series’ that will also be shown in the exhibit include works by Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Frank Stella, Ed Ruscha, Richard Serra, John Baldessari and many more.

According to Michael Govan, CEO of LACMA, Gemini “remains a highly influential and pioneering workshop” for artists around the country. “Pivotal works produced at Gemini have been integral to the museum’s permanent collection, monographic exhibitions and programs,” Govan said.

Felsen proudly claims that Gemini has “always told the artists they can work in any medium or combination of media they chose, and they are encouraged to experiment as much as needed.”

Because of Gemini’s constant drive for new innovations in the printmaking scene, the process of creating even different sections of the same series varies. With styles ranging from lithography to etching to woodblock printing, what seems like one simple design can take days or even weeks to create. Richard Serra’s all black pieces require different copper plates put in acid baths for days before it could even be etched with the gritty textured material that his pieces often have. Julie Mehretu’s giant prints go through extra- large presses and multiple trials before it turns out the way it does. Every piece of artwork requires unique attention and skills, but that is precisely what makes Gemini G.E.L. one of the most sought-after printmaking workshops in the country.

The Serial Impulse at Gemini G.E.L. will provide a special opportunity to appreciate not only the work of Gemini G.E.L., but also the legacy of USC alumni.