Leonard Baskin OPERE
Leonard Baskin was born on August 15, 1922 in New Brunswick, in New Jersey, and grew up in a family with a strong Jewish tradition, being the son of a rabbi. From a very young age, he showed a deep inclination for the visual arts and for reflection on themes of mortality and the human condition, elements that remain central throughout his career. Between 1937 and 1939, he studied as an apprentice under Maurice Glickman at the Educational Alliance in New York, developing an early technical discipline. He then attended the New York University School of Architecture and Applied Arts and, thanks to a scholarship, entered Yale University, where in 1942 he founded the legendary Gehenna Press.
During his formative years, Baskin discovered the illustrated books of William Blake and decided to dedicate himself to art printing, learning printing techniques firsthand. The Gehenna Press soon became one of the most important art printing houses in America and produced over 100 illustrated books, often enriched with woodcuts and lithographs of great expressive power. At the same time, Baskin pursued a strong figurative commitment, consciously opposing the dominance of abstract expressionism. During this period, he created sculptures, paintings, and engravings that addressed themes such as the Holocaust, suffering, and collective memory.
In 1974, he moved to Great Britain, to Lurley Manor in Devon, to be close to his friend and poet Ted Hughes, with whom he collaborated intensely. He returned to the United States in 1984 and taught at Hampshire College in Amherst. His artworks entered prestigious collections such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the British Museum in London. Leonard Baskin died on June 3, 2000 in Northampton, leaving an artistic legacy of extraordinary intensity.
Leonard Baskin always defined himself first and foremost as a sculptor and created monumental works of great emotional impact. Among the most famous is The Funeral Cortege, an imposing bronze sculpture placed at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, where the artist represents an intense funeral procession symbolizing mourning and historical memory. Also important is the monumental bas-relief completed in 1994 for the same memorial and the bronze statue for the Holocaust Memorial in Ann Arbor.
Alongside sculpture, Baskin developed a vast graphic production. His woodcuts and etchings show human and animal figures often distorted, full of drama and moral tension. The lithographs and silkscreens stand out for their powerful use of black and white and for a sharp and severe line. Through the artist books of the Gehenna Press, Baskin united visual art and literature, collaborating with poets such as Sylvia Plath, Ted Hughes, and James Baldwin. The whole of his work appears coherent, intense, and deeply connected to the human figure as a universal tool of expression.
Leonard Baskin valuations
The valuations of Leonard Baskin on the international market vary significantly depending on the type and the period. Bronze sculptures, especially monumental ones or those linked to important public commissions, reach high values, often between 100,000 and 400,000 euros. Paintings and watercolours show more contained but solid valuations, generally between 20,000 and 80,000 euros, appreciated for their figurative strength.
Particular attention is deserved by drawings and especially the graphic production. Original lithographs, etchings, and woodcuts signed and numbered have valuations ranging from 1,500 to 10,000 euros, depending on rarity and condition. Thanks to the spread of the artworks of the Gehenna Press, Baskin’s graphic market remains active and stable, making him an artist of great interest both for experienced collectors and for new enthusiasts.
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