Harwood Museum Presents Print Seminar with Dr. Robert Bell

February 05, 2010

Taos, NM – The Harwood Museum of Art presents a the first in a series of Seminars on Printmaking with Dr. Robert Bell Friday, February 12 and continuing on a monthly basis through May. The first lecture this Friday will focus on the History of Printmaking. Dr. Bell, an avid print collector and print connoisseur will bring prints from his collection to be discussed and examined by participants, including early works by Albrecht Durer up to more contemporary pieces by Pablo Picasso.

The Print Seminar continues on March 26 with a focus on the works of the Impressionists, on April 16 with a focus on Mexican artist Jose Guadalupe Posada and on May 14 with works from the Barbizon to Taos.

This program will be held in the Harwood Museum of Art’s Fern Hogue Mitchell Education center from noon – 1pm. Due to class size, advanced registration is required. This program is free to Harwood Museum Alliance members of $8. To reserve your spot please call the Harwood Admissions Desk 575 758-9826 x 101

Dr Robert Bell graduated from Yale University of Medicine and completed his post-doctoral training there. He currently lives in Santa Fe and is a practicing ophthalmologist. Dr Bell has collected prints for over four decades, with special expertise in nineteenth and early twentieth century European and American artists. A major donor of original prints to universities and museums, he has lectured widely on the history and techniques of printmaking. Dr Bell has also been a major patron of printmaking artists in Santa Fe since 1980.

Dr. Bell’s enthusiasm and dedication to printmaking is contagious. As a popular current lecturer at NM Highlands University, Bell explains: “My lectures are often on-going, printmaking as a topic is so full, looking at techniques, examining historical eras to focusing on individual artists provides me with endless material. The lectures I have designed for the Harwood are an opportunity to share my passion of this art-form with other print-lovers as well as people interested in learning more about the medium and its history.�

Bell writes in “100 Santa Fe Etchers� one of his many books which focus on printmaking in New Mexico, a beautiful and concise explanation of his passion. “Original prints are simply works of art on paper made in multiple impressions. Each impression is pulled from an inked surface created by the artist: a wood block produces relief prints; a cooper or zinc plate produces intaglio prints, including etchings, engravings, drypoints and mezzotints; a stone surface produces lithographs; and a silk screen produces serigraphs. . . . Each print is an original work of art conceived and executed by the artist. Because they exist in multiples, prints are often the only original works of art than many people can afford to own.�

For more information on Dr Robert Bell’s Printmaking Lectures at the Harwood or to sign up for his February 12th noon presentation please call 575 758-9826 x 101. The Print Seminar with Dr Robert Bell are free to Harwood Museum Alliance Members or $8. Advanced Registration Required.

The Harwood Museum of Art of UNM, 238 Ledoux Street, Taos, NM 87571. Tue-Sat 10-4, Sun 12-4. Admission $8. Sundays free to NM Residents. Always free to Harwood Alliance Members & UNM Community. www.harwoodmuseum.org