Printworks

Really a great gallery. They’re very focused on their artists and present really good shows, a variety of works from show to show. You can spend a couple hundred dollars here for a print or several thousands. And the two gentlemen who own the place are treasures of information – about everything. Go.

Printworks Gallery specializes in works on paper which encompasses drawings, etchings, lithographs, paintings on paper, multi-​media works, collage and photography. They have a roster of about 40 artists – mostly artists with an affiliation to Chicago – either they work in Chicago or spent time here. A few are nationally and internationally known: Leon Golub, Hollis Sigler, Richard Hunt, Nancy Spero, Audrey Niffenegger, Philip Pearlstein, Ellen Lanyon and Robert Lostutter. They have around 6 – 8 exhibitions each year with a group exhibition usually during the summertime.
Printworks has shifted their focus over the years to represent more objective art and work with a visceral and emotional depth. The co-​directors, Bob Hiebert and Sidney Block, are very friendly and tend to be more generous with their time explaining the work to both new and seasoned collectors than other «painting» galleries might be. They’ve been nice to me; my first artwork purchase from any gallery was a $ 50 Audrey Niffenegger etching I bought from Printworks back in 1994!

As the name might indicate, prints are the name of the game here. The gallery shows prints, drawings, and sometimes photographs.