An old book as a model for a work of art − that was the basic idea for R. B. Kitaj's series of works of silkscreen prints that captured current conditions of old books. Kitaj titled the 50 works from 1969 to 1970 In Our Time: Covers for a Small Library After the Life for the Most Part. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens acquired the series in 2020 and now features 44 prints in the exhibition In Our Time: Prints by R. B. Kitaj. Kitaj's work references the fragility of books, which were synonymous with knowledge in the pre-digital era. Visitors will be able to view the screen prints, which are also of high quality craftsmanship, from August 5, 2023, to March 4, 2024, in San Marino, California.
Ronald Brooks Kitaj (1932-2007), better known as R. B. Kitaj, was an American artist who lived and worked mostly in England. He is counted among the School of London, which devoted itself to figurative painting after World War II, when the art world was dominated by abstraction. Other notable members included David Hockney, Francis Bacon, and Lucian Freud. Kitaj was a pioneer of British Pop Art and participated in documenta a total of three times (1964, 1968, 1977). In 1995 he won the Golden Lion for painting at the 46th Venice Biennale.
