Adolph Dehn, American (1895 - 1968)

One of America's leading lithographers of the twentieth century, Adolf Dehn first studied at the Minneapolis Art Institute. His education was thwarted for several years during the First World War when he became a conscientious objector. One year after the war ended (1919) Dehn received a scholarship to resume his studies at the Art Students League, New York. There he met the influential artist, Boardman Robinson (1876-1952), who helped to publish Dehn's drawings for the leftist newspaper, The Masses. Robinson also introduced the young artist to the master printer, George Miller, and Dehn created his first lithographs under his direction in 1920.
In 1921 Adolf Dehn set off for Europe in order, he stated, "to starve more elegantly." He remained there until 1929, living and working in Berlin, Vienna and Paris. During this period he supported himself almost entirely with his lithographic art, many of which were very satirical in nature. Dehn returned to New York in 1930 and set up his studio there. During the decade of the Great Depression he became famous both for his satirical and landscape lithographs. Beginning in 1941 Adolf Dehn taught lithographic and printmaking techniques at the Colorado Springs Fine Art Center. He was elected a full Academician of the prestigious National Academy of Design in 1961, the year he created Big Rock. Today the lithographs of Adolf Dehn are included in many of the world's leading institutions, including the British Museum, London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
During his career, one of Dehn's biggest supporters was the famous American art scholar, Carl Zigrosser. He wrote,
"Dehn is the Debussy of the lithograph. He has no one approach. He works with pen or crayon, with point or flat edge, with wash and splatter and rubbed tones, he rubs and picks and scratches and scrapes ... whatever is at hand. He caresses or attacks the stone according to his mood." *