Donald Baechler 1995 Ulae Lithograph & Collage, Emily Fisher Landau Whitney Dinner

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An unusual and exceptionally well-documented 1995 lithograph and collage by American artist Donald Baechler (1956–2022), created as the menu for … Read more An unusual and exceptionally well-documented 1995 lithograph and collage by American artist Donald Baechler (1956–2022), created as the menu for an Emily Fisher Landau dinner at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

The work is independently documented in the Getty Research Institute's Margo Leavin Gallery archive as Untitled Menu for Emily Fisher Landau Dinner at Whitney Museum of American Art, 1995. Archival documentation identifies the work as a six-color lithograph with collage, from an edition of 225, printed by Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE).

The Getty documentation substantially clarifies the history and medium of this unusual Baechler multiple, which had previously been described simply as an offset lithograph.

Designed as a folded menu, the work incorporates Baechler's characteristically direct, playful graphic imagery and includes a fortune-cookie fortune as part of the collage. This example is initialed “D.B.” and dated 1995 in pencil by the artist and retains the printer's identifying mark as well as an original information/provenance sheet on the reverse.

The association with Emily Fisher Landau (1920–2023) is particularly notable. One of the important American collectors of postwar and contemporary art, Fisher Landau was a significant collector and supporter of Baechler's work. His art appeared repeatedly in exhibitions at the Fisher Landau Center for Art, including a dedicated exhibition of his painting and sculpture in 2011–2012.

Another example of this exact 1995 menu edition has appeared at auction, described as a color lithograph with fortune-cookie fortune, initialed and dated in pencil and retaining its information sheet.

Baechler emerged from the New York art world of the 1980s and became known for an immediately recognizable visual vocabulary of simplified figures, flowers, globes and other everyday imagery. His prints and paintings are represented in major museum collections, including the Whitney Museum of American Art.

A particularly engaging Baechler multiple combining fine-art printmaking, collage, New York art-world history and unusually strong documentation.

Artist: Donald Baechler (American, 1956–2022)
Title: Untitled Menu for Emily Fisher Landau Dinner at Whitney Museum of American Art
Date: 1995
Medium: Six-color lithograph with collage
Printer: Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE)
Edition: 225
Signature: Initialed “D.B.” and dated 1995 in pencil by the artist
Documentation: Original information/provenance sheet retained with the work
Dimensions: Approximately 26" H × 20" W framed
Condition: Very good vintage condition. Presented framed under glass. Please see photographs for details.

Price: $1,495 See less