National Museum Wales wins Richard Hamilton Acquisition Prize & buys print at Frederick Mulder

Karl Schmidt-Rottluff (1894-1976) 

Die Sonne, 1914

Woodcut signed in pencil, from the edition of 75.

The IFPDA Foundation is pleased to announce the acquisitions funded by the Richard Hamilton Acquisition Prize at the 2016 IFPDA Print Fair. The Acquisition prize, sponsored by Champion & Partners, awarded $10,000 to the National Museum Wales to support a purchase at the International Fine Print Dealers Association’s annual Print Fair which concluded November 6, 2016.

“With the generous support of Champion and Partners, the IFPDA is delighted to award the 2016 Acquisition Prize to the National Museum of Wales,” said Michele Senecal, Executive Director of the IFPDA. “We recognize the museum’s commitment to the medium of printmaking and the value of their expansive collection of works on paper on an international level.”

David Anderson, Director General, Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales said, “This is a real coup not only for our curator Beth McIntyre and Amgueddfa Cymru but for Wales and the UK. Yet again, we have an opportunity to demonstrate the standard of Wales’ art collection to the World and add to the richness of that collection through such a prestigious award. I must thank those responsible for selecting Amgueddfa Cymru and Champion & Partners for allowing us the opportunity to grow our important collection of fine art.”

The centerpiece of their acquisition was a 1914 woodcut by the German Expressionist painter and printmaker, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, one of the four founders of the artist group Die Brücke. The work, entitled Die Sonne (The Sun), 1914, was acquired from Frederick Mulder, Ltd., specialists in European printmaking 1470-1970. This acquisition expands the Museum’s collection in an important new direction as its first print from the German Expressionist movement. The Prize also made possible the Museum’s purchase of two prints from a recent series by Welsh artist Clare Woods, Danish Alan, 2016 and Harry the Weatherman, 2016 both acquired from Alan Cristea Gallery.

About National Museum Wales’ Collection of Prints and Drawings

The National Museum Wales houses around 40,000 works on paper. These comprise watercolors, drawings, prints, sketchbooks and albums. It is a broad-based collection, ranging from prints by Rembrandt and Picasso to watercolors by Cézanne and Turner and drawings by Burne-Jones and David Nash.

About the Richard Hamilton Acquisition Prize

Sponsored by Champion & Partners since 2012, the Richard Hamilton Acquisition Prize funds $10,000 in museum acquisition at IFPDA Print Fair. Since its inception in 2012, the Prize has been awarded to the Cincinnati Art Museum (2015), the Portland Art Museum (2014), the British Museum (2013), and the Philadelphia Museum of Art (2012).

In naming the prize, Champion & Partners pays tribute to the artist Richard Hamilton, who inspired their own appreciation of prints, and his profound influence on printmaking. The Prize was conceived to enable museums to acquire significant prints for their collections and to inspire individual collectors by illustrating the profusion of affordable museum quality works on offer at the IFPDA Print Fair.