Fresh Ink features a selection of drawings from the Texas State Galleries Permanent Collection created using ballpoint pen or, in some instances, materials or techniques resembling the pen's fine point. Whereas ballpoint pen is more often considered a tool for everyday writing and doodling, the examples in this exhibition show the medium's artistic potential, with gestural mark-making ranging from meticulous drafting to more whimsical scratching.
Patented in 1938 by the Hungarian Argentine journalist László József Bíró, the ballpoint pen has been popular among artists since the mid-twentieth century. More affordable, portable, and reliable than fountain ink pens notorious for smudging, it has been used by such well-known artists as Alberto Giacometti, Jean Dubuffet, Andy Warhol, and others, who embraced the medium for sketching but also for finished drawings and mixed-media pieces. Contemporary artists continue to experiment with the medium, creating both realistic and abstract art, as well as works in three-dimensions.
The Texas State Galleries Permanent Collection serves as a vital resource for students in the School of Art & Design. Over two-thirds of the collection's roughly-350 objects were generously donated by art collector and Professor Emeritus of Music Dr. Timothy Woolsey. Please join us for a conversation with Dr. Woolsey about the art of collecting on February 27 at noon with a lunch reception to follow.