Mid 20th Century Jack Levine Signed Aquatint "The Prisoner," Artist's Proof, Framed

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This is an original aquatint by Jack Levine, one of the most important American Social Realist painters and printmakers of … Read more This is an original aquatint by Jack Levine, one of the most important American Social Realist painters and printmakers of the 20th century, whose work is held in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum, and the National Gallery of Art. Titled "The Prisoner" and dated 1963, this is one of Levine's most significant and widely recognized prints, marking his major turn toward printmaking during the 1960s after establishing himself as a painter with works like "Election Night," now in MoMA's collection. The image depicts a haunting, bound and gagged figure rendered in Levine's dense, atmospheric aquatint technique, built from deep blacks and ghostly white highlights that give the composition real psychological weight. The National Gallery of Art holds multiple impressions of this exact title in its permanent collection, and it's referenced in serious scholarship on Levine's career as one of his defining printmaking achievements. The print measures 18 by 14 inches and is presented in a substantial 31 by 27 inch frame with generous museum-style matting, giving it real gallery presence on a wall. This impression is inscribed "Artist's Proof" in pencil at the lower left, meaning it was pulled outside the standard numbered edition, a mark of real scarcity that print collectors specifically seek out. It's signed "J. Levine" in pencil at the lower right, exactly as his authenticated prints are marked. The piece is insulated with 100% rag paper, matching the same conservation-grade framing quality used on the companion Levine piece in this collection, a detail that speaks to careful handling and preservation over the years. This piece is sourced from a private Brookline, Massachusetts estate collection, alongside a companion Levine etching, "The Bearded Man," from the same home. Levine trained under Dr. Denman Ross at Harvard's Fogg Museum and became one of the most respected socially conscious figurative artists of his generation. Owning an artist's proof of a print held by the National Gallery of Art is a genuine opportunity for serious collectors, not a common occurrence on the secondary market. See less