Lot 40

Vojtěch Preissig (1873 - 1944) UNTITLED

After returning from a study residence in Paris in 1905, Vojtěch Preissig worked independently and established the Bohemian Prints edition. In 1909 he published his own book, Barevný lept a barevná rytina (Color Etching and Color Engraving). But when his print workshop went out of business, he left Prague in 1910 and travelled to the United States, where his most important stopovers included The Art Students League of New York (1912) and the Teachers College of Columbia University. It was in the United States where he first saw linocut and other special printmaking techniques. In 1916–1918 he worked as a printmaker in Boston, heading up the School of Printing and Grafic Arts at the Wentworth Institute. This drawing, originally an ex libris, likely dates from his time in the United States.

Provenance: art collector, patron and industrialist Jindřich Waldes, who supported Preissig through his financial difficulties.