The Israel Museum, Jerusalem – Until 6 June 2026

This landmark exhibition at the Israel Museum encompasses six centuries of printmaking, charting the medium’s rich history and examining its impact on art as a whole. Used at first to reproduce and circulate existing images, printmaking dramatically expanded the accessibility of visual culture. Very quickly, however, prints asserted themselves as independent art forms. Thus printmaking has uniquely provided both an affordable means of mass communication and a wealth of artworks for discerning collectors. Giving artists greater freedom to experiment with form, narrative, and content, the medium assumed center stage and in a sense became the message.

This exhibition showcases masters who shaped the evolution of printmaking. During the Renaissance, Dürer combined technical virtuosity with psychological depth in his engravings, while in the 17th century, Rembrandt gave etchings a sensitivity and emotional complexity comparable to painting. In the late 18th century, Goya’s exploration of aquatint added even more power to the expressive potential of etchings. The invention of lithography, a faster, fluid technique, extended the medium’s possibilities in the 19th century; Daumier used it as an instrument of social satire, while Toulouse-Lautrec captured the pulse of modern Parisian life. Over the course of the 20th century, printmaking evolved into a dominant vehicle for sociopolitical commentary and cultural critique. Munch and Picasso experimented with a large variety of print techniques as they tackled themes ranging from classical mythology to the inner psyche. German Expressionists harnessed the direct rawness of the woodcut to articulate feelings of personal alienation, political misgiving, and existential angst.