B.

Printmaking in Britain was just as alive and exciting in the 1970s as it was in the 1950s and 60s. This is the impression one will gain from viewing Prints of the 70s.

Each of artists represented in this survey developed during the heady years of the 1960s. In total there are six: Peter Blake, Patrick Caulfield, Richard Hamilton, Allen Jones, Tony Phillips and Joe Tilson. All are contemporary painters who we have come to associate with British Pop Art. As a movement British Pop Art aimed at breaking down many of those traditionally held disciplines, constraints and barriers in art. Artists reassessed not only their sources of imagery but also their means, exploring new directions. Often the involvement and interchange of images taken out of context from the everyday world gave rise to new forms of expression, particularly in painting and sculpture. Printmaking was no exception and the boundaries between the fine Art and commercial print were swiftly removed, expanding the horizons of this art form. For many artists associated with the Pop Art Movement the print, particularly the screen print, assumed a new role, not only was it an extension to the artist's work in paint but it gradually emerged as the equal of the painted image and frequently became its source.

The six artists included in this exhibition are adventurous and whilst the medium might be traditional the means is not

Among the exciting features which many visitors will notice is the scale of many of the prints especially those by Allen Jones.

Prints of the 70s by Six British Artists was prepared by the National Art Gallery Wellington. The selection of prints was made by Miss Anne Kirker, Curator of Prints and Drawings, from works held by Waddington Galleries London, a leading Print Dealer Gallery. It is almost nine years now since an exhibition devoted exclusively to Contemporary British Art has been shown in New Zealand and we are most fortunate that the New Zealand Art Directors Council have been able to arrange a national tour for this stimulating show.

('Prints of the 70s by Six British Artists', Bulletin, No.14, March/April 1981, p.5)