Atelier 17: Myths in Motion

Atelier 17 was one of the twentieth century's most influential printmaking workshops. Founded by English artist and scientist Stanley William Hayter in Paris in 1927, the workshop was renowned for its spirit of collaboration and technical innovation. After the Nazi invasion of France, Atelier 17 relocated to New York City in 1940, where artists such as Jackson Pollock experimented with etching and engraving. In May 1946, a major exhibition of Atelier 17 prints organized by the Museum of Modern Art traveled to Vassar College.

This exhibition considers the workshop in the context of global events of that era: the Spanish Civil War, World War II, and the Atomic Age. Atelier artists combined abstraction and Surrealism with activism and political commentary. The workshop was especially notable for its anti-fascism, producing innovative prints that commented on current events using imagery drawn from Greco-Roman mythology, the Bible, and Jungian psychoanalysis.

Atelier 17: Myths in Motion is part of The Atelier 17 Project, a series of events and exhibitions honoring the workshop's 2027 centennial. The exhibition is drawn from the collection of local artist, scholar, and public arts commissioner Arthur F. Jones (1945- 2025), and reproduces his research notes on several labels for individual prints. We dedicate this exhibition to Arthur's memory and to his passionate advocacy for the arts and the legacy of Atelier 17.

Atelier 17: Myths in Motion was organized by John P. Murphy, Philip and Lynn Straus Curator of Prints and Drawings, in collaboration with Katherine Bernstein '27. This exhibition is generously supported by the Friends of the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center Exhibition Fund. There are works that appeared in this exhibition that were loans to the Loeb and therefore do not appear on this website.