Editor's note: For complete selection of images available for use, go to the Faulconer Gallery web site at http://web.grinnell.edu/art/gexp/. March 22, 2002

Contact: Dann Hayes, Director of Media Relations, 641-269-4834 or
Karen Fischer, Faulconer Gallery public relations assistant, 641-269-4663

German Expressionist Prints on Display at Grinnell College

GRINNELL, Iowa-Grinnell College's Faulconer Gallery presents the recent acquisition of 71 German Expressionist prints in a student-curated exhibition, "Walking a Tightrope: German Expressionist Printmaking 1904 -1928," on view April 1 to 21, at the Faulconer Gallery, Grinnell College.

The prints capture the artists' optimistic yearning for a utopian society and their subsequent disillusionment following World War I. The exhibition asserts that artists "walked a tightrope" as they produced shocking images of exploitation, corruption, and the harsh realities of life in Weimar Germany, both criticizing the ruling government and hoping to mobilize their audiences toward social reform.

At the turn of the 20th century, several artists in Germany attempted to visualize a subject's inner truth through expressive use of line, color and abstraction. Sharing idealistic goals of social reform through the power of art, these individuals created an artistic force known as German Expressionism. Works printed on paper were expected to move the hearts and minds of the masses, because printed images were more affordable and could be more widely distributed among not only the wealthy, but also among middle class audiences.

The collection includes prints by nearly 20 artists, including Ernst Barlach, Max Beckmann, George Grosz, Käthe Kollwitz and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, and was assembled over the course of 30 years by John L. and Roslyn Bakst Goldman of Rochester, New York. Grinnell College's acquisition of these works was made possible through a gift from an anonymous donor.

During the fall of 2001, a class of 10 students studied the artists, themes, objectives, and styles of the German Expressionists under the guidance of Assistant Professor Jenny Anger. Students planned the exhibit and produced a catalog with the cooperation of the Faulconer Gallery staff. The result is this three-week exhibit which explores the risks these artists took to achieve a new art in a time of political and social upheaval.

The opening reception for "Walking a Tightrope" will be April 4th in the Bucksbaum Rotunda from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Student curators and gallery staff will be available to answer questions.

Tours of the exhibition have been scheduled for April 6, 13, and 20 at 2:15 p.m. The gallery hours are 12 (noon) to 5 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday through Saturday. The exhibition is free of charge and open to the public.

The Faulconer Gallery is located on the first floor of the Bucksbaum Center for the Arts, Sixth Avenue and Park Street, on the campus of Grinnell College. For more information, call 641-269-4660.

Events associated with the exhibition are as follows:
o Exhibition Reception
Introduction by students in Bucksbaum Center for the Arts, ART 253, curators of the exhibition, April 4, 6:30 - 8 p.m.

o German Expressionist Film Series
April 2 and 3, 7:30 p.m., Alumni Recitation Hall (ARH) 302 -"The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" (Robert Wiene, 1919)
April 10 and 11, 7:30 p.m., ARH 302 - "Metropolis" (Fritz Lang, 1927)
April 17 and 18, 7:30 p.m., ARH 302 - "Pandora's Box" (G.W. Pabst, 1929)

o Lecture: "The Quest for Authentic Utopias and Expressionism: A Matter of Survival," by Timothy O. Benson '72, curator, Rifkind Center for German Expressionist Studies, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, Calif. April 10, 4:15 p.m., Lawson Lecture Hall, Bucksbaum Center for the Arts.


Panel discussion: "Re-examining Expressionist Prints for Social, Historical, and Political Relevance," April 11, 4:15 p.m. Panel participants: Jenny Anger, assistant professor of art, Grinnell College; Timothy O. Benson, curator, Rifkind Center for German Expressionist Studies, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, Calif.; Bill Patch, professor of history, Grinnell College; Dan Reynolds, assistant professor of German, Grinnell College; Alan Schrift, professor of philosophy, Grinnell College, April 11, 4:15 p.m., Faulconer Gallery, Bucksbaum Center for the Arts.

345stART: Walking a Tightrope: German Expressionist Printmaking 1904-1928
A hands-on project and gallery experience for young children with an adult friend. Programs are aimed at children ages 3-5, but interested children who are younger or older are encouraged to attend. Call 641-269-4663 to register.
April 17, 4:15 p.m.
April 20, 10:30 a.m. (repeat of April 17 program)