Exhibition ‘An Ode to Printmaking’

The album L’Estampe originale demonstrates the richness and diversity of printmaking in the late nineteenth century. The Van Gogh Museum is one of only six collections worldwide to hold a complete copy of this album. Many of these prints are rarely displayed because of their fragility.

Original printmaking

In March 1893, publisher André Marty released the first instalment of L’Estampe originale, an album of modern prints by avant-garde artists. Every quarter, an album containing ten prints was published and sent to an ever-growing group of print collectors. Between 1893 and 1895, nine albums were published, comprising a total of 95 prints by 74 different artists.

The artists created their prints according to the principles of the ‘estampe originale’ – original printmaking. Under these guidelines, artists had to be personally involved in every stage of the printmaking process. They also ensured that the prints were issued in small, numbered editions of one hundred impressions. This was exceptional at a time when commercial prints and reproductive graphics were being mass produced.

Emerging talent and established names

Marty combined avant-garde prints with more traditional graphic work. This appealed to collectors, who were often still somewhat conservative in their tastes. The album therefore contains original prints by a wide range of artists – from young talent to established names such as Pierre Bonnard, Camille Pissarro, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Paul Gauguin.

The rise of colour and modernity

Artists had previously regarded colour lithography as inferior. This changed in the late nineteenth century as colour posters became ubiquitous in the streets and in magazines. An 1890 exhibition in Paris devoted to Japanese prints also played a key role. From then on, colour lithography came to be seen as new, exciting and distinctly modern.

Women in the picture

The prints in L’Estampe originale feature a striking number of women: as muses, mothers, lovers, or mysterious figures. They often remain anonymous or appear in allegorical form. As the albums were primarily intended for a male audience, who received them at home, L’Estampe originale therefore not only reflects artistic developments but also offers insight into the social position of women at the end of the nineteenth century.

A cross-section of the fin de siècle

Through its combination of artists, techniques and subjects, L’Estampe originale provides a vivid snapshot of a culture in transition. The album shows how, around 1890, art, taste and society were closely intertwined.

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