2018: Martin Levine

Federal Hall National Memorial, 26 Wall Street, was built in 1842 at Wall and Broad Streets. Sculptor John Quincy Adams Ward created the bronze statue of George Washington in 1883, marking the approximate site of the George Washington’s April 30, 1789, inauguration. Architecture is the primary inspiration for my art and one of humankind’s greatest achievements. My hand-drawn lithograph took many months to complete, drawing from my photographs and on-site sketches. These photographs were taken over a 20-year period. It was my first stone lithograph in more than 30 years and the first time a statue appears prominently and the first time a person appears in one of my prints. 26 Wall Street is one of the best examples of classical architecture in Manhattan. I was also intrigued by the fact that not much has changed to the exterior of this building since John Frazee designed it 176 years ago.

The above from Martin Levine’s submission

Artist/Printmaker Martin Levine was born in New York City. He received a B.S. in Art Education from Buffalo State College and an MFA in Printmaking from the California College of Arts, Oakland, CA. His etchings and lithographs realistically depict cityscapes. He is a past president of the Society of American Graphic Artists and was elected to the National Academy of Design. He has juried exhibitions in the UK, Bulgaria, Poland, and Yugoslavia. He has received more than 120 national and international awards, including a National Endowment for the Arts in Printmaking. His work has been shown in Australia, Poland, Germany, England, Ireland, Taiwan, Japan, Spain, Norway, Ireland, Colombia, Uruguay, Slovenia, Egypt, Vietnam, Venezuela, Brazil, China and Israel. His work is included in the Victoria and Albert Museum-London, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, The Brooklyn Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, Library of Congress, New York Public Library, Museu D’Art Contemporani D’Eivissa-Spain, Museum of Fine Arts-Boston, New York Historical Society, Carnegie Institute, Zimmerli Museum and the China Printmaking Museum- Shenzhen.