Contact: Cynthia Ehlinger
Public Relations Assistant
(203) 413-6756
For Immediate Release
Sept. 9, 2011
New Exhibition!
The Prints of Martin Lewis: From the Collection of Dr. Dorrance Kelly
October 2, 2011 – February 19, 2012
Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich, CT
Martin Lewis (1881-1962)
Little Penthouse,1931
Drypoint, 9 7/8 x 6 ¾ in.
Collection of Dr. Dorrance T. Kelly
© Estate of Martin Lewis
The Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut, presents the new exhibition The Prints of Martin
Lewis: From the Collection of Dr. Dorrance Kelly from October 2, 2011, through February 19, 2012.
Recognized as one of the premier American printmakers of the first half of the 20th-century, Martin Lewis
(1881-1962) left an indelible mark on the landscape of the art world. Although not as publicly well known
as some of his contemporaries such as Edward Hopper, Lewis was a highly skilled printer who was
greatly involved in the artistic scene of New York City during the 1920s and ‘30s. This exhibition features
more than thirty etchings and several canceled plates by the artist from the private collection of Dr.
Dorrance Kelly of West Redding, Connecticut.
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The exhibition The Prints of Martin Lewis: From the Collection of Dr. Dorrance Kelly
provides a brief biographical account of Lewis and showcases some of the artist’s best technical prints.
Lewis was an acknowledged master of the intaglio techniques of printmaking, experimenting with multiple
processes including etching, aquatint, engraving, mezzotint, and dry point.
In 1915 he produced his first documented etching, Smoke Pillar, Weehawken. Images like this
one documented the scenes of everyday life as they played out in the thriving metropolis around New
York City. Lewis portrayed all aspects of city life including dockworkers, skyscrapers, tugboats, and
pedestrians – mostly the ladies. He produced magnificent prints that captured the energy, bustle, and
occasional solitude of New York. With his move to Connecticut in 1932, Lewis investigated another topic
through his printmaking: country life. This firmly entrenched Lewis as a prominent American scene artist,
as his prints captured the intersection between the urban and rural environments and shed light on the
slowly emerging suburban culture.
The Prints of Martin Lewis: From the Collection of Dr. Dorrance Kelly, which will be on view
in the Museum’s Bantle Lecture Gallery, is organized by Robin Garr and Diane Myers, members of the
Bruce Museum Education Department.
This exhibition is generously supported by a private donation and the Charles M. and Deborah G.
Royce Exhibition Fund.
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Consistently voted the "Best Museum" by area media, the Bruce Museum is a regionally based,
world-class institution highlighting art, science and natural history in more than a dozen changing
exhibitions annually. The Bruce Museum is located at 1 Museum Drive in Greenwich, Connecticut, USA.
General admission is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and students, and free for children under five and Bruce
Museum members. Free admission to all on Tuesdays. The Museum is located near Interstate-95, Exit 3,
and a short walk from the Greenwich, CT, train station. Museum hours are: Tuesday through Saturday 10
a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and closed Mondays and major holidays. Museum exhibition
tours are held Fridays at 12:30 p.m. Free, on-site parking is available. For information, call the Bruce
Museum at (203) 869-0376, or visit the Bruce Museum website at www.brucemuseum.org.
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