"Etchings and Drypoints of Ignaz M. Gaugengigl (1855-1932), the “Meissonier of Boston.”"
2006-01-11 until 2006-03-04
Childs Gallery
Boston, MA, USA United States of America

Childs Gallery is currently showing the etchings and drypoints of Ignaz M. Gaugengigl (1855-1932), the “Meissonier of Boston.” This small group of elegant prints reflects the rich detail and intimacy for which the artist’s paintings are well-known. Born in Passau, Bavaria in 1855, Gaugengigl immigrated to Boston in 1878 and quickly became friends with the influential Sylvester Rosa Koehler, first curator of prints at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Amid a successful painting career, Gaugengigl began etching under Koehler’s direction and completed his first plate, Summer, in 1880 for American Art Review (1879-1880). After American Art Review ceased publication, Koehler continued to act as Gaugengigl’s teacher and patron securing his inclusion in print publications and high-profile exhibitions such as the Boston Museum of Fine Arts’ Exhibition of American Etchings, April 11 – May 9, 1881.

Of the 25 plates known to have been etched by Gaugengigl, several emulated his own paintings, including The Duel, 1902, Happy Hours, 1990 and Andante, 1898. His favorite subjects included French Revolution era genre pictures, costume studies and graceful portraits, including a self-portrait that relates to a painting at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Musuem in Boston. Gaugengigl’s graphic work was situated directly within the high point of etching in American history, and reflects both the Etching and Colonial Revivals. These delightful works will be on view from January 10 to March 4, 2006.

IMAGE
Gaugengigl, Ignaz Marcel
Bavarian-American, (1855-1932)
Title: The Only Way
Date: 1886
Media: Etching
Dimensions: 13 1/4 X 9 3/8 inches
Signature: Signed in pencil

Related Links:

Indepth Arts Resources for the State of Massachusetts

Other Important Exhibitions in United States