BRUNSWICK — The “Printmaking ABC: In Memoriam David P. Becker” exhibit at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art introduces visitors to the techniques, themes and stylistic developments of Western printmaking since the Renaissance.

Featured are highlights from the recently acquired collection of 1,500 prints given and bequeathed by Bowdoin alumnus and former trustee David P. Becker, an internationally recognized print scholar who died in 2010.

The museum is open to the public free of charge 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; Thursday evenings until 8:30 p.m.; and 1-5 p.m. Sunday.

On Thursday, Jan. 31, the public is invited to attend a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. 

Becker’s expertise encompassed drawings, illustrated books and writing manuals, collected throughout his life with the intent to build a comprehensive teaching resource for his alma mater.

The exhibition, on view through March 10, includes prints by Western masters ranging from Albrecht Durer and Rembrandt to David Hockney and Jasper Johns.

In recognition of Becker’s interest in lettering and calligraphy, the exhibition is organized by the letters of the alphabet, with each letter standing for a theme. Topics range from the technical, such as “Etching/Engraving” and “Lithography,” to the thematic, such as “Knowledge” and the “Night Sky.”

These categories include subjects that were of particular significance to Becker — from “Trees” and “Vegetation,” representing his interest in nature and environmentalism, to “Political Activism,” demonstrating his advocacy of gay and lesbian rights.

From his first days at Bowdoin, Becker was particularly passionate about prints and printmaking, and this became his collecting focus, both for his personal and the museum’s collections. Believing that the graphic arts should educate and inspire future generations of students, he gave or helped purchase prints dating from the beginnings of printmaking in the 15th century to its innovative uses today. 

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