Nicole Eisenman: Prints from The McIninch Art Gallery at SNHU

The McIninch Art Gallery Presents

Nicole Eisenman: Prints September 13 – December 21, 2021

The McIninch Art Gallery is pleased to present the exhibition “Nicole Eisenman: Prints.” This exhibition was intended to be on view March 2020. We were able to be open for three days before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold and my colleagues and I were required to turn off the lights and lock the doors. It goes without saying that everything pales in comparison to the extraordinary loss of lives and lives changed forever because of Covid.

Time allowed us to consider how to act upon the work we do and the way we can work with others during this unprecedented time. We feel extremely fortunate that Andrew Mockler of Jungle Press and Nicole Eisenman Studios allowed us to re-open our exhibition for the fall semester the 2021-22 Academic Year.

This exhibition is especially poignant as we begin to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the founding of The McIninch Art Gallery. We began as a small regional academic gallery and grew to a larger exhibition venue showcasing internationally renowned artists with a growing collection that includes several lithographs by Nicole Eisenman.

Although we still have Covid restrictions in our work and personal lives, we hope that if you are unable to see our exhibitions in person you will take advantage of our online exhibition and other related online resources using the following link: https://libguides.snhu.edu/McIninch/NicoleEisenman Lastly, we are pleased to share that our colleagues at UMass Amherst will be opening a larger exhibition on Eisenman’s prints including some of the historic paintings from academic collections that have informed the artist’s practice.

Wherever you live or work we hope you can take advantage of these beautiful exhibitions.

Debbie Disston, Director, The McIninch Art Gallery

Please visit our colleague’s exhibition: University Museum of Contemporary Art UMass Fine Arts Center, Amherst, MA 01003 Nicole Eisenman: Prince September 23 – December 5, 2021 and February 3 – May 1, 2022 Influenced by Expressionism, Impressionism, and Pablo Picasso, Eisenman explores the human condition, populating their works with emotionally resonant, cartoonish figures, formed with exaggerated, painterly lines and intense colors. Full of pathos and dark humor, these expressionistic portraits are taken from observations of everyday life and culture, combining representation, abstraction, caricature, the grotesque, gender instability, and queerness.

Sideshow: Nicole Eisenman’s Modernist Inspirations September 23 – December 5, 2021 and February 3 – May 1, 2022 Sideshow includes prints and drawings that relate to Eisenman’s early interest in Pablo Picasso and German Expressionism. Many of the artworks relate to this 20thcentury movement and include works by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Otto Dix, George Grosz, Max Beckmann, and Picasso.

Image |

Nicole Eisenman, Boquet, 2018, 22 x 18 inch

(h x w), Two Color Lithograph, Published by Jungle Press Editions, New York

nicole eisenman: prints Through combining elements of historical art and their own provocative, yet honest outlook on life, Nicole Eisenman has become one of the most prominent contemporary painters of the current era. Born in Verdun, France, Eisenman graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in 1987.

They are a recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship (1996), the Carnegie Prize (2013), and the MacArthur Fellowship (2015), and have been featured in the Whitney Biennial (1995, 2012, 2019). Eisenman’s works have portrayed an eclectic range of themes, including sexuality, inequality, and violence, oftentimes through a comedic yet truthful lens.

Opposite |

Nicole Eisenman, Harold and Medrie, 2012, Four-color lithograph (from stone), Published by Jungle Press Editions, New York

Life’s circumstances sometimes leave us at an emotional crossroads. Eisenman chose the community and routine of working with master printers over the lure of isolation in their private studio. Starting in 2010, Eisenman spent the next year and a half working with master printers; Andrew Mockler of Jungle Press Editions, Felix Harlan and Carol Weaver, and Marina Ancona of 10 Grand Press, to become familiar with the intricate realm of printmaking. Monoprints, woodcuts, etchings, Eisenman tried them all.

Above |

Nicole Eisenman, 12 Heads, 2012, Etching and aquatint on paper

Edition 12/20, Published by Harlan and Weaver, Courtesy of Union College

Left |

Nicole Eisenman, Artist 2010, etching printed with chine collé

Edition of 20, Published by Jungle Press Editions, New York

Right |

Nicole Eisenman, Drummer, 2011, 22 x 18 inch (h x w), Two Color

Lithograph, Published by Jungle Press Editions, New York

Image |

Nicole Eisenman, Portrait of Evan, 2012,

Two-color lithograph (from stone), Edition of 8, Published by Jungle Press Editions, New York

The specific focus with Mockler involved lithographs. In a visit to the Print Study Room at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, they were inspired by late 19th and early 20th Century artists such as Evard Munch, Pablo Picasso, and Max Beckmann. Eisenman’s style collection features playful, colorful notes of German Expressionism, whereas their linework is often reminiscent of Impressionistic styles.

this exhibit explores the complex, authentic, and often raw experience of the human condition.

Image |

Nicole Eisenman, Untitled, 2016, Etching,

archival inkjet and sticker, Edition of 1, Published by 10 Grand Press, McIninch Art Gallery Collection

Prints such as Threesome and Sloppy Bar Room Kiss tell a story of physical longing and desire, inspiring connectedness in both a literal and figurative sense.

Above |

Nicole Eisenman, Threesome, 2012, Two-color lithograph,

Edition of 25, Published by Jungle Press Editions, New York

Opposite |

Nicole Eisenman, Sloppy Bar Room Kiss, 2011, Two-color

lithograph (from stone), Edition of 25, Published by Jungle Press Editions, New York

With them, Eisenman expresses the diversity of gender and sexuality.

They remind us of the necessity of emotional and physical With prints such as Thinker and Man Holding His Shadow Eisenman offers a brief glimpse of a mind lost in thought.

Ouija, with its flowing shapes and translucent colors, hints at the mystery of mortality and questions what lies beyond our everyday lives. The human mind is nothing if not curious.

Opposite Left |

Nicole Eisenman, The Thinker, 2012, Two-color

lithograph (from stone), with four-color photolithograph, Edition of 25, Published by Jungle Press Editions, New York, McIninch Art Gallery Collection

Opposite Right |

Nicole Eisenman, Man Holding his Shadow,

2011, Two-color lithograph, Edition of 25, Published by Jungle Press Editions, New York , McIninch Art Gallery Collection

Right |

Nicole Eisenman, Ouija, 2012, Six-color lithograph,

Edition of 25, Published by Jungle Press Editions, New York

In Tea Party, Eisenman reminisces on their politically driven works from the late 2000s. Here Eisenman’s sharp and cynical wit shines through, encouraging laughter, as well as a moment’s introspection.

Opposite |

Nicole Eisenman, Tea Party, 2012, Two-color lithograph,

Edition of 25, Published by Jungle Press Editions, New York

Opposite Left |

Nicole Eisenman, Bar, 2012, Nine-color lithograph, Edition of

25, Published by Jungle Press Editions, New York

Opposite Right |

Nicole Eisenman, Conversation, 2012, Two-color lithograph

(from stone), Edition of 25, Published by Jungle Press Editions, New York

Above |

Nicole Eisenman, Fleet Week, 2010, drypoint and aquatint with chine

collé, Edition of 15, Published by Jungle Press Editions, New York , McIninch Art Gallery Collection

Nicole Eisenman: Prints is playful, thought-provoking, and rich with narrative. Having been through cycles of experimentation and adjustment, each print Eisenman created contributes to paralleling the trial-and-error nature of the human experience. The highs and lows, the good, and the bad, they are all present.

Eisenman’s venture into printmaking has produced a space where humanity can just be.

Rachel Willoughby SNHU Alumnus Class of 2021 Psychology Major

Image |

Nicole Eisenman, Fourpack, 2010, etching printed with chine collé, Edition of 20, Published by Jungle Press Editions, New York

mission statement The McIninch Art Gallery, administered by School of Arts and Sciences and Education at Southern New Hampshire University, provides first-hand experiences in the arts through collections, exhibitions, and diverse programs designed to support the university curriculum and enhance public engagement with fine art.

This publication is produced in conjunction with the exhibition Nicole Eisenman: Prints, on view from September 13th through December 21st , 2021 at the McIninch Art Gallery, Southern New Hampshire University. ©2020-21 by Southern New Hampshire University.

Photos reproduced with permission.

Front Cover |

Nicole Eisenman, Artist 2010 (partial), etching printed with chine collé

Edition of 20, Published by Jungle Press Editions, New York

Back Cover |

Nicole Eisenman, Artist 2010 (partial, reflected), etching printed with chine collé

Edition of 20, Published by Jungle Press Editions, New York

The McIninch Art Gallery Presents

location

gallery hours

2500 North River Road Robert Frost Hall Manchester NH 03106 603.629.4622 www.snhu.edu/art

Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Closed Sundays and university holidays