Featuring the work of 42 poets and artists, from Dylan Thomas to Frank O’Hara, and Helen Phillips to Willem de Kooning, the portfolio 21 Etchings and Poems, published in 1960, represents a noteworthy collaboration between the visual and literary arts. Each print closely integrates text and image, including a poem written in the hand of its author and imagery created through a wide range of innovative print techniques. Initiated by artist Peter Grippe, director of the renowned Atelier 17 print workshop, and the result of nearly ten years of effort, 21 Etchings and Poems is not only a landmark of mid-20th century American print publishing, but is unique in its inclusion of writers and artists from across the spectrum of 1950s cultural production.

Click here to listen to recordings of the poems and images of the etchings.

This exhibition and related programs are funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Wellesley College Friends of Art.

Elaine Mehalakes
Kemper Curator of Academic Programs