Gustave Baumann, German Craftsman–American Artist

Kick off the Bicentennial year with a glimpse into a unique part of Hoosier history. View more than 100 works from the late Brown County artist and one of the most significant woodblock printmakers of the 20th century, Gustave Baumann. Inside the exhibition, meet local woodblock printmaker Leslie Dolin and watch her create original prints inside her mini studio. Then, join in the fun with the Beginner’s Woodblock Printmaking Workshop and create your own print to take home! This workshop is included with admission, but registration is required. Support for this exhibition is provided by Bob and Toni Bader, Dr. Stephen W. Fess and Mrs. Elaine Ewing Fess, and Frank N. and Patricia L. Owings. 

Gustave Baumann (1881-1971) was one of the most significant woodblock printmakers of the 20th century. His complex printmaking process was central to his work and remained constant throughout his career, spanning more than 65 years. By combining the craftsmanship of a woodcarver and the sensitivity of a painter, he created an unparalleled body of color woodblock prints, which will be showcased in this exhibition.

Baumann’s popularity has continued to grow since his death in 1971. All of the major American museums collected his work during his lifetime, but none more so than the Indianapolis Museum of Art, which began collecting Baumann prints in 1910 and has continued to do so regularly over the past century.

This exhibition will follow Baumann from Germany to Chicago, to rural Brown County, Indiana, and then to New York and Provincetown, and finally to Taos and Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he settled in 1918 with subsequent forays into Arizona and California.