Opening Reception for Angels, Alleys and Animal Acts: Prints September 22, 2007

Printmaking experienced a renaissance in the second quarter of the 20th century, when artists addressing the challenges of the Depression and two world wars sought to make their imagery available to the widest possible audience of Americans. Philadelphia, long a home to the nation's publishing and illustration industries, was particularly well situated to produce new masters of media to serve democracy. This exhibition concentrates on the work of five influential artists (Julius Bloch, Robert Riggs, G. Ralph Smith, Earl Horter and Benton Spruance) of the 1920s to 1950s, whose prints embrace the realities and aspirations of the most trying times.