CU Library exhibit highlights renowned book artist Leonard Baskin

Title page of Capriccio, 1990. Woodcut by Leonard Baskin. (© Estate of Leonard Baskin; used with permission.) University Photography

Cornell University Library's fall exhibition from the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections celebrates the book art of the American artist Leonard Baskin (1922-2000). "Artifex: Leonard Baskin & the Gehenna Press" opens on today, Oct. 2, with a reception at 4:30 p.m. in the Hirshland Gallery, level 2B of the Kroch Library.

Widely recognized as a major figure in 20th-century American art, Leonard Baskin embodied the essence of the artifex (Latin for "creator") in blending the roles of master craftsman, artisan and artist. His sculptures, prints, books and drawings can be found in the collections of nearly every major research library and art museum. Among his many commissions were a bas-relief for the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C., and a Holocaust Memorial statue, erected on the site of the first Jewish cemetery in Ann Arbor, Mich. Known as a printmaker as well as a sculptor, Baskin had a lifelong passion for collecting, illustrating, designing and printing books. His favorite subjects included notable figures from the history of art and bookmaking, natural history, the Bible and mythology.

Baskin grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., the son of a rabbi. His religious upbringing and early education at a yeshiva had a profound effect on his aesthetic sensibilities. As a student at Yale University from 1941 to 1943, he learned and developed a great enthusiasm for the art of letterpress printing. Baskin spent many hours at the Sterling Library, where he happened across Milton's description of hell in Paradise Lost: "And black Gehenna called, the type of Hell." The line inspired a name and identity for the Gehenna Press, which he proceeded to develop into a small private press that still produces beautifully crafted books today. Baskin illustrated most of those books and served as the press's designer and producer. Among the best-known Gehenna Press books are those on which Baskin collaborated with noted poets, such as Ted Hughes and Archibald MacLeish. This exhibition highlights many of those artistic partnerships.

A cornerstone of the library's fine press printing collection, Baskin's books represent the apex of contemporary letterpress printing. The exhibition features books and fine prints from Baskin's Gehenna Press, including wood engravings, woodcuts and etchings. A collection of Baskin's own working materials, lent by his wife, Lisa Unger Baskin '64, also will be on view. These unique sketches, wood blocks and proofs provide a rare glimpse into the creative process and illustrate the physical and conceptual construction of books from cover to cover.

The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art also is featuring the exhibition, "Earthbound Flight: Winged Creatures in the Art of Leonard Baskin." This is the first time that the library and museum have mounted tandem exhibitions.

"Artifex: Leonard Baskin & the Gehenna Press" will be on view in the Kroch Library until Jan. 9, 2004. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 1-5 p.m. An online version of the exhibition is available at http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/baskin.