Blackburn
Artist
Ron Adams
(American, 1934 - 2020)
Publisher
The Lawrence Lithography Workshop
(American, founded 1979)
Date2002
MediumColor lithograph on Rives BFK tan paper
DimensionsImage: 24 13/16 × 34 7/8 inches (63.02 × 88.58 cm)
Sheet: 29 1/2 × 39 inches (74.93 × 99.06 cm)
Framed: 37 1/8 × 49 1/4 inches (94.31 × 125.1 cm)
Sheet: 29 1/2 × 39 inches (74.93 × 99.06 cm)
Framed: 37 1/8 × 49 1/4 inches (94.31 × 125.1 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: acquired through the generosity of the Print Society
Object number2003.2
SignedBottom margin, pencil: 36/80 Blackburn Ron Adams/02
MarkingsPrinter's chop, lower right corner
Edition/State/Proof36/80
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionHalf-bald bespectacled black man in short-sleeved green shirt, striped apron, lifts proof from bed of press, right. Behind him, left, rear view of standing man in suit, hat, cane at right side, looking at leftmost of three prints of torso on brick wall. Upper right, window facing cityscape. Table, center rear, bearing roller, matchbox, two bottles, can holding brushes. Plant in pot, right, beyond press.Gallery LabelRon Adams is noted for his insightful portraits of accomplished, influential African Americans. Adams' portrait of Robert Blackburn shows his friend pulling a print from the surface of a lithographic stone at the Printmaking Workshop, a press founded by Blackburn that encouraged wide participation of artists, especially those of color. Blackburn was a highly esteemed abstract artist/printmaker who, through his work and dedication as a master printer and community advocate, was a force for good. Adams' homage to Blackburn also celebrates printmaking as an artistic discipline with an ethos and creative language shared by a global community of artists.
Copyright© Ron Adams
Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information,
is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete.
Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a
particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum.
If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image,
please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.
