We Buy Woodblock Prints

Woodblock prints are my specialty. I have written for major national publications on the topic, and lectured and served as a consultant I held the first cataloged retrospective of the prints of Margaret Patterson (1986) and curated the first museum exhibit devoted to printing matrices: “Provincetown Printing Blocks” (1988).

Color or black and white, from circa 1985 to the 1950’s.

I am not interested in wood engravings from Harper’s Weekly or other pictorial newspapers of the 19th century.

I am interested in (and collect) the works of the Polish-American artist, Gan Kolski (1899-1932). He did wood engravings as well as lithographs and etchings. I am interested in works by Kolski in any medium.

American 1893 -1987. Smith did some wonderful modern woodblock prints and paintings. Prior to the late 1930’s he created more representational art but I am extremely interested in his abstract images. He was born in Richmond, Virginia and taught at Bennington College in Vermont in the late 1930’s and early 1940’s. He was head of the art department at the University of Virginia later in his career. I am less interested in his modern dog and bird prints which he did from the 1950’s.

I am not interested in 19th Japanese woodblock prints but will consider 20th century Japanese prints.

I am interested in woodblock prints of Japan and Orient by Western artists (Lum, Hyde, Pepper, etc).

Block printers didn’t need elaborate printing equipment as etchers and lithographers did. They simply needed a block of wood, something to carve with, paper and ink. Therefore, many block printers labored alone and hence didn’t not get “picked up” by standard biographical reference books. So, don’t get too hung up on names or lack of an artist “being listed.” There are many “unknown” artists who I will pay very strong prices for.

Just a few years ago the printmakers Ora Inge Maxim, W. Corwin Chase and Mary Burr Russel were “unknown” and today they bring very strong prices. I am interested in strong images by major or minor artists. Also looking for images with a good “Arts & Crafts” look (c. 1900-1935). I’m looking for c.1916 color postcards of New York City by Rachel Robinson Elmer.

Please Note: This list is not all-inclusive.
*These artists were known to have created Provincetown White Line Color Woodcuts.

I am interested in books illustrated with woodcuts such as Gustave Baumann’s Frijoles Canyon Pictographs (1939) and other books that are generally pencil-signed and of limited edition. I am not interested in books illustrated by Lynd Ward.

I am interested in any books by woodcut artists up to 1960 that are of “how-to” nature and list or picture prints by the artist/author. I am also interested in exhibition catalogs listing woodcuts and artists. I am also buying any reference books from the period c. 1895-1960 that talk about and picture woodblock prints. The Studio published books on woodcuts in the 1920’s and 30’s. There were “woodcut annuals” published in the 1920’s and books were written by such authors as Malcolm Salaman and Herbert Furst. In addition, I am looking for the following specific titles by Charles W. Smith:

Abstractions (1939)
Experiments in Relief Printing (1954)