Inca Bird
Inca Bird, 1985, Carborundum Print
Max Papart (French, 1911 – 1994)
#2014.0003.0001
Max Papart, born in Marseille, France, is considered to be a modern master printmaker. He moved to Paris at 22 where he learned the techniques of classic engraving. In 1960, he added to the classic processes the carborundum etching technique invented by his friend Henri Goetz. Papart took inspiration from such diverse themes as prehistoric cave painting to the conquest of outer space. Initially working in the Cubist style, he depicted circus scenes, soaring birds and similar cheerful subjects with flat, overlapping planes of contrasting colors and textures. Other major artistic events that have played an essential role in his personal evolution include Surrealism, Dada, Bauhaus and the birth of cinema, television and Jazz. Here, the Inca Bird employs an acrobatic geometry, with bright colors and vivid contours juggling with the sun. The contrast between linear and circular, brightness and darkness presents an interesting collage of various pictorial elements.
Gift of Kenneth and Sherri Nahan
