In East Germany, printmaking was a sanctuary for the arts and at the same time a medium of freedom.

This catalogue presents, for the first time since reunification, a panorama of East German printmaking, portrayed exemplarily by means of the museum’s outstanding colour print collection and the Mail Art collection created after 1989.

The richly illustrated volume shows the remarkable quality of the genre and its special function within the East German art system. In addition, 29 articles and an extensive appendix examine ‘printmaking in the system’: a great number of well equipped workshops existed and the learning of printmaking techniques played an important role in ‘basic training’ at art schools.

This genre was also decisive in advancing the establishment of an artistic subculture—through the introduction of experimental visual languages and art forms.

Published on the occasion of the exhibition at Staatliches Museum Schwerin, 20 November 2015 – 14 February 2016.

English and German text.