FINE PRINT: Rediscovering the Backus Portfolio on Paper and Canvas
On view through April 30, 2023
A.E. Backus Museum of Art
Fort Pierce, Florida
www.backusmuseum.org
“FINE PRINT: Rediscovering the Backus Portfolio on Paper and Canvas” focuses on a very prominent limited-edition print portfolio titled “Florida and the West Indies – Sketches by A.E. Backus.” What makes this exhibition so special is that the original sketches have been paired with paintings from public and private collections that connect with the portfolio images.
The story of the prized limited-edition print portfolio “Florida and the West Indies – Sketches by A.E. Backus” is revisited in “FINE PRINT” for the 50th anniversary of its publication. These exceptional images were drawn from and inspired by the artist’s travels over nearly twenty years and gathered in 1972 as a high-quality portfolio. This assembly reveals Backus’ deep connection to the places and people he encountered. 16 of the original drawings are part of the Museum’s permanent collection, and are presented together for the first time since the limited-edition folio was published.
[Image: A.E. Backus (1906-1990). Street in Cap-Hatien, Haiti, c.1952. Oil on canvas, 25 x 30 in. Private Collection]
