Prints
The museum's collection of graphic prints, like that of drawings, concentrates on 20th century works and contemporary art, with a special focus on sculptural graphics.
Eduardo Chilida, LEKU-ALDATU, 1972, etching
During the course of the 20th century the functions of painting and sculptural graphics changed enormously, as did the development of and preference for various artistic techniques. Alongside older techniques such as woodcarving, etching, and lithography, screen printing and, since the 1960s offset printing in particular now dominate new technical processes, whereby the combination of various techniques and individual inventions and treatment especially were the hallmark of this genre of reproducible art in the 20th century.
Ernst-Ludwig Kirchner, Blumen in Vase, 1918/19, aquarelle
Until the end of the 1960s the concept behind the collection embraced German painting, sculpture, drawing and graphic prints from "Lehmbruck until today", as well as contemporary French graphic prints of the day, including "Informal" representatives. As such, from the very beginning the museum's collection included, alongside Lehmbruck, works by Maillol, Kollwitz, Barlach, Marc, the Bauhaus teachers Schwitters and Schlemmer and the Surrealists Dali, Miró and Max Ernst.
Fritz Wotruba, Szenische Architektur, 1967, lithography
As of the 1960s the first change in direction manifested itself, towards international 20th century sculpture, a development which was followed by more intense purchasing of sculptural graphics, initially works representing Nouveau Realisme, kinetic art, happenings and Fluxus, Op Art, Pop Art, as well as Concept Art, and later in particular of sculptors of the 1980s. Nowadays the collection of graphic prints includes extensive sets of work by individual artists, for example the entire graphic work of Wilhelm Lehmbruck, over 450 graphic prints by Henry Moore, 117 graphics by Fritz Wotrubas, and extensive collections of works by Jakob Steinhardt, Franz Bernhard and Erwin Heerich.
Furthermore, the Lehmbruck museum is in possession of a considerable quantity of photographies and sketches that serve as illustrastive material for the genesis of the works included in the collection of prints.