Parasol Press

The first retrospective on Parasol Press, a New York–based print publisher that swiftly became a critical force in both American printmaking and the contemporary art world
 
Parasol Press: Breaking New Ground is the first retrospective to survey the breadth of Parasol Press’s remarkable publications between 1970 and 2014. Founded by Robert Feldman in New York, the publisher came to prominence for introducing a generation of Minimalist and Conceptual artists to printmaking. Working in the 1970s with artists such as Mel Bochner, Sol LeWitt, Robert Mangold, Brice Marden, Agnes Martin, Edda Renouf, Dorothea Rockburne, and Robert Ryman, Parasol’s editions were among the decade’s most ambitious prints, showcasing the complex and varied ways Minimalist artists explored the materiality of printed surfaces while challenging the medium’s limits. Collaborating with printers including Kathan Brown at Crown Point Press and Michael Domberger at Edition Domberger, Parasol Press took risks on technically daring feats, including Chuck Close’s creation of the largest mezzotint ever produced, Richard Estes’s intricate photorealistic screenprints consisting of hundreds of layers of color, and a multiartist portfolio made entirely from rubber stamps. Over the next decades, Parasol would go on to publish innovative editions by more than one hundred artists, including Eric Fischl, Susan Rothenberg, David Salle, Julian Schnabel, and Donald Sultan. Parasol’s final project in 2014 continued to break boundaries, inviting ten award-winning physicists and mathematicians to produce a portfolio containing what they considered to be the most beautiful equations, exquisitely rendered in aquatint-like chalk on a chalkboard.

This comprehensive account provides a unique and dynamic snapshot of a radically changing art world, demonstrating how a range of artists approached, explored, and experimented with the medium of print. Parasol Press reveals how the groundbreaking publisher helped forge transformative connections between dozens of artists and printers, capturing not only the innovative approaches of renowned artists but also emphasizing the significance of risk-taking, collaboration, and experimentation in pushing the boundaries of artistic expression.
 
Distributed for the Addison Gallery of American Art