ADAMS, Tate

'Irish Fishing Village' (an original colour linocut printed from three blocks)

Image size 330 × 380 mm (overall paper size 370 × 425 mm), inscribed in pencil in the bottom margin 'Trial proof', along with the title and the artist's signature and date (Tate Adams '54).

One tiny sealed tear and some light creases to the bottom edge of the sheet, well clear of the inscriptions and image; in excellent condition.

Irish-born Tate Adams (1922-2018) 'began painting and printmaking in 1949 at which time he studied for six months at the Central School of Art and Crafts, London. He arrived in Melbourne in 1951 and studied book illustration and design at Melbourne Technical College (now Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology). He also attended Tuesday evening classes in printmaking. Adams worked in London and Dublin between 1956 and 1958. Returning to Melbourne 1959 he was appointed lecturer in printmaking at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, and in that position was instrumental in encouraging many artists and students to experiment in printmaking. He established the Crossley Gallery in July 1966 which became a focal point for Melbourne printmakers until it closed in October 1980. The gallery exhibited local artists work as well as contemporary prints from Japan. Adams later established Lyre Bird Press which publish[ed] books illustrated with original prints' (National Gallery of Australia, printsandprintmaking). Examples of this print, also simply titled 'Fishing Village', are held by the National Gallery of Australia (NGA 86.46, also a trial proof) and the National Gallery of Victoria (P33-1991).