“Lasansky in the UD Collection,” through December 29

Through Thursday, December 29

University of Dubuque's Bisignano Art Gallery, 2255 Bennett Street, Dubuque IA

The talents of three generations of artists will be on display in the University of Dubuque's Bisignano Gallery through December 29, with the venue housing beautiful and evocative drawings, paintings, prints, and more in Lasansky in the UD Collection, an exhibit boasting works by Mauricio Lasansky, his son Tomás, and his grandson Diego, the latter of whom will also speak in a special guest lecture on December 5.

Mauricio Lasansky is often considered to be a “father” of American printmaking, and, according to Time magazine in the 1960s, “the nation’s most influential printmaker.” Lasansky was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1914, and as an artist whose importance has been widely recognized, his work can be found in private collections and more than 140 museums nationwide, including in Europe and Latin America. During his long career until his passing in 2012, he had more than 250 solo shows in 35 countries and received six honorary doctorates of art degrees.

Tomás Lasansky was born in Iowa City in 1957, with the human figure and portraits of icons and personal muses being dominant themes throughout his distinguished career. A master of drawing, painting, ceramics, and intaglio printmaking, Tomás employs aspects from each to create richly textured canvases and works on paper characterized by bold colors and multiple layers of lyrical mark-making. His art is shown and collected widely in the United States and U.S. embassies around the world, and has been the subject of several museum exhibitions including at the Butler Museum of American Art, the Snite Museum, and recently, the retrospective Tomás and Charlie Lasansky: An Artistic Union at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art.

Born in 1994, Diego Lasansky is an artist whose focuses are on painting, drawing, and printmaking. Prior to his formal college education, Diego learned artistic processes from his uncle Tomás and grandfather Mauricio, and in 2015, the youngest of the three Lasanskys enjoyed his first solo exhibition. Diego's print series of Martin Luther found international success as the entire edition was gifted to Lutheran universities and institutions around the world, and the artist's work follows a tradition of portraiture utilizing historical themes while maintaining an influence of a contemporary world. Lasansky has maintained a studio space in Iowa City for more than a decade.

The University of Dubuque's collection of intaglio prints by the Lasansky family started with a major gift by the Bisignano Art Gallery’s benefactor of Mauricio Lasansky’s Great Thinkers series. When Alan Garfield, director of the art gallery, first learned of the dozen intaglios at the University by the man who is often considered to be a father of American printmaking, he was overwhelmed.

"What a great teaching tool; what great art," Garfield said. "In no time, I organized the students in my museum studies course to mount our first show of Mauricio Lasansky’s work in the Bisignano Art Gallery in April 2013. This was our inaugural exhibition in the gallery." Since then, UD has acquired more Mauricio Lasansky works and, through special funding and gifts, has expanded its reach to include the Lasansky family of artists.

Lasansky in the UD Collection will be on display at the University of Dubuque's Bisignano Gallery through December 29, regular gallery hours are noon to 5 p.m. on Monday through Friday, admission is free, and more information is available by calling (563)589-3267 and visiting DArt.dbq.edu/gallery.