In fin-de-siècle Paris, avant-garde artists turned to the medium of color lithography to explore new modes of expression. This practice, however, was technically complex and thus required the involvement and expertise of a professional printer. Many artists, including the Nabis, the Neo-Impressionists, and Auguste Rodin, sought the help of master printer Auguste Clot. In turn, Clot became an invaluable collaborator, performing the various labor-intensive steps required to produce color art lithographs, from preparation to final printing. This talk explores the master printer’s craft and labor in the production of original color lithographs in fin-de-siècle France in order to recast the history of modern art through the lens of collaboration. 

Natalia Lauricella is a Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow in the Department of Art & Art History at Stanford University. She is a specialist in the history of print, with a focus on printmaking in late nineteenth-century France. She received her BA from Barnard College, her MA from the Courtauld Institute of Art, and her PhD from the University of Southern California. Prior to pursuing her PhD, Natalia worked as a curatorial assistant of collections and exhibitions at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York.