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Forty Fridas

Woodcut
2012 (printed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Ellen Heck (born USA, 1983) is a printmaker based in California. ‘Forty Fridas’ is a series of prints depicting women and girls dressed as the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (1907-54). On one level, these are intimate personal portraits, but the project as a whole addresses themes of identity, the multiple, individuality, and variation. By using printmaking, Heck has highlighted these concepts, which are referenced both in the subject matter and in the medium. The prints are a complex combination of drypoint and colour woodcut, time-consuming and challenging to produce. Each of the prints, made over a period of two years (2011-12), has been produced in a very small edition of between 5 and 10. Each of the prints in this set is number 2 from its respective edition.

The suite was selected for the 2014 International Print Biennale and exhibited at Northern Print in Newcastle as part of the Biennale exhibition. Heck was selected by Gill Saunders as the V&A Prize Winner at the Biennale.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Titles
  • Forty Fridas (series title)
  • Andi as Frida (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Colour woodcut and drypoint
Brief description
'Andi as Frida' from 'Forty Fridas', 2012, a series of 40 woodcut and drypoint prints by Ellen Heck
Physical description
Colour woodcut and drypoint print, inscribed with edition number, title, signature and date in pencil.
Dimensions
  • Sheet height: 38cm
  • Sheet width: 30cm
Production typeLimited edition
Copy number
2/9
Marks and inscriptions
2/9 Andi as Frida Ellen Heck 12 (Edition number; title; signature; date. All in pencil.)
Credit line
Given by the artist
Summary
Ellen Heck (born USA, 1983) is a printmaker based in California. ‘Forty Fridas’ is a series of prints depicting women and girls dressed as the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (1907-54). On one level, these are intimate personal portraits, but the project as a whole addresses themes of identity, the multiple, individuality, and variation. By using printmaking, Heck has highlighted these concepts, which are referenced both in the subject matter and in the medium. The prints are a complex combination of drypoint and colour woodcut, time-consuming and challenging to produce. Each of the prints, made over a period of two years (2011-12), has been produced in a very small edition of between 5 and 10. Each of the prints in this set is number 2 from its respective edition.

The suite was selected for the 2014 International Print Biennale and exhibited at Northern Print in Newcastle as part of the Biennale exhibition. Heck was selected by Gill Saunders as the V&A Prize Winner at the Biennale.
Collection
Accession number
E.651:33-2014

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Record createdOctober 9, 2014
Record URL
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