Orchestra II, by Anni Albers, Amer., (1899-1994)

Offset Lithograph, 1979, Ed. 12/50, image 12 x 11, printed in white ink, signed, titled, numbered and dated by Albers in white ink, on a sheet of glossy coated black paper, approximately 17-7/8 x 16-7/8, in a crisp,  suitably minimal blonde wood frame. This particular impression was donated by the Anni and Josef Albers Foundation for a benefit event in 2000 to raise funds for Long Wharf Theater in New Haven CT. Anni Albers studied weaving at the Bauhaus starting in 1922, and joined the faculty in 1929. After moving to North Carolina in 1933, Anni and husband Josef founded the Art Department at Black Mountain College. After over 30 years at the vanguard of weaving as a fine art, in 1963 Anni Albers shifted her focus to printmaking; further exploring subtle, lyrical patterns established in her textile works.  Many consider Anni Albers the most important weaver of the 20th century, bringing awareness and recognition both for her reductive abstract compositions and for weaving as a fine art. Her contributions to printmaking have brought her aesthetic contributions before a broader audience and are today enjoying renewed scholarly attention.