This new exhibition features 50 works drawn from the Collection of Ralf C. Nemec, the largest assemblage of Rockwell Kent prints in the world. Renowned for his block print book illustrations, particularly The Complete Works of William Shakespeare and Moby Dick, Rockwell Kent (1882-1971) worked in a variety of media, including oil painting, woodcuts, lithographs, drawings and ceramics.

Kent studied architecture at Columbia University and painted under William Merritt Chase at the Shinnecock Hills School. He also studied painting under Robert Henri at the New York School of Art, where his classmates were Edward Hopper and George Bellows. Encouraged by his teacher to see Maine, he visited Monhegan Island in 1905 and built a home and studio there that he used year-round (through 1910). His numerous jobs as architectural draftsman, illustrator, lobsterman, ship’s carpenter, longshoreman and lighthouse keeper fed his vision.

Kent’s adventures captured the American imagination. His paintings, lithographs and woodcuts often portrayed the bleak and rugged aspects of nature; a reflection of his life in harsh climates. In the mid-twenties that Kent became enamored with woodcutting and lithography and began illustrating classic literature.

Kent exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in 1904-1911, 1925-1926, 1932-1938; Corcoran Gallery, Washington, 1908-1939 (ten times); Exhibition of Independent Artists, 1910; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; The Art Institute of Chicago; and the Society of Independent Artists, New York, 1917, 1936, and 1941. Rockwell Kent's works can be found at the Philadelphia Museum of Art; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Whitney Museum of American Art; Art Institute of Chicago; Brooklyn Museum; and the Corcoran Gallery, Washington, DC.

ROCKWELL KENT: Prints from the Ralf C. Nemec Collection was organized by Landau Traveling Exhibitions, Los Angeles, CA. The exhibition is available for booking through 2024.