Wayne Thiebaud. Delights

In 1964, Wayne Thiebaud created a portfolio of 17 prints, entitled Delights, in which he returned to the favoured still-life motifs found in his paintings and which made his name in the early 1960s: ice cream cones, rows of cakes, gumball machines and many of the other objects of everyday American life. However, these subjects look very different rendered in print, on a small scale and in black and white. As Thiebaud told his publisher, ‘When you change something, you change everything.’ Thiebaud was keen to experiment with different techniques and media, and Delights was his first foray into printmaking, a technique he returned to throughout his long career.

Presented in the Gilbert and Ildiko Butler Drawings Gallery, the display of these 17 wonderful prints complements The Griffin Catalyst Exhibition: Wayne Thiebaud. American Still Life. It will feature related works on paper by Thiebaud as well as hand-coloured etchings, to appreciate fully his range as an artist.

This display is curated by Dr Karen Serres, Senior Curator of Paintings, and Dr Barnaby Wright, Deputy Head of The Courtauld Gallery and Daniel Katz Curator of 20^th-century Art.

The programme of displays in the Drawings Gallery is generously supported by the International Music and Art Foundation, with additional support from James Bartos.