“Red Geraniums” Print by Robert Kushner Commissioned by The Smithsonian Associates

The Smithsonian Associates Art Collectors Program announces the 2009 commission of Robert Kushner to create a limited-edition screen print. “Red Geraniums” is now on display at the Graphic Eloquence exhibition in the Smithsonian’s Ripley Center. Through the Art Collectors Program, this signed and numbered screen print is now available for purchase. Proceeds support the educational and cultural programs of The Smithsonian Associates.

Kushner’s “Red Geraniums” contains bold patterns based on a floral motif reflected in a distinctly Japanese style. Tints of gold, silver, palladium and metallic pigment enhance this colorful botanical theme. Kushner’s spontaneous, yet carefully constructed, design echoes his journeys to Japan and his studies with master woodblock printers. The image can be viewed online at the Art Collectors Web site at http://artcollectorsprogram.org/TheCollection/fine_art_prints/kushner.htm#.

Born in 1949 in Pasadena, Calif., Kushner is an internationally recognized painter, printmaker and sculptor who has exhibited widely since 1971. His work has appeared at the Whitney Museum of American Art, National Gallery of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum and, most recently, at the Federal Reserve.

“Red Geraniums” is a 24-color, screen print limited-edition of 100, printed on Rives BFK paper. Each unframed print is numbered and signed by the artist and comes with a certificate of authenticity from the Smithsonian. The print measures 38 x 37 inches (image is 31 x 31 inches). Prices are $1,200 for Associate members and $1,500 for nonmembers. To purchase at the member price, visit http://www.residentassociates.org/membership or contact the Art Collectors Program at (202) 633-8680.

Each year since 1973, The Smithsonian Associates Art Collectors Program has commissioned leading American artists to create limited-edition works of art. Many of the prints can be viewed at the ongoing exhibition, “Graphic Eloquence: Limited-Edition Prints from The Smithsonian Associates Art Collectors Program,” located in the Smithsonian’s Ripley Center. The full collection can be viewed online at www.artcollectorsprogram.org.

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SI-192-2009