Paulson Fontaine Press

Paulson Fontaine Press
Name	Paulson Fontaine Press
Founded	1996
Founders	Somlyo Paulson; Rhea Fontaine
Location	Berkeley, California
Focus	Fine art printmaking, intaglio, lithography

Paulson Fontaine Press is a fine art printmaking workshop and publisher based in Berkeley, California. The studio produces limited-edition prints in collaboration with contemporary artists and participates in exhibitions, residencies, and museum collections. It operates within the contexts of American printmaking, contemporary art, and artist-run studios.

History

Paulson Fontaine Press was established in 1996 amid shifts in the San Francisco Bay Area art scene involving San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Oakland Museum of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, and local artist-run spaces. Early activities connected the press to printmaking traditions tracing to U.S. printmaking revival, relations with ateliers influenced by Tamarind Institute, P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, and exchanges with artists associated with Bay Area Figurative Movement. Over time the press developed relationships with institutions such as Art Institute of Chicago, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, and regional collections, while responding to exhibitions at venues like San Jose Museum of Art and collaborations with curators from Whitney Museum of American Art and National Gallery of Art.

Founders and Leadership

Founders Rhea Paulson Fontaine (cofounder listed as Rhea Fontaine) and Erica Paulson (cofounder listed as Somlyo Paulson) guided organizational strategy and studio practice, drawing on networks that include artists represented by Gagosian, Pace Gallery, and David Zwirner. Leadership has engaged with curators and directors from Smithsonian American Art Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, and trustees involved with Getty Foundation grants. Studio managers and master printers have collaborated with visiting artists affiliated with Art Basel, Venice Biennale, and artist residencies at institutions like Yaddo and MacDowell.

Artistic Focus and Techniques

The press emphasizes intaglio processes such as etching and engraving linked historically to practitioners like Rembrandt and techniques preserved by workshops like Tamarind Institute. It also produces lithographs, relief prints, and experimental works engaging technologies showcased at venues such as Museum of Modern Art and in dialogues with movements around Minimalism, Abstract Expressionism, and Conceptual Art. Collaborations often involve artists connected to galleries such as Hauser & Wirth and institutions like Walker Art Center and Centre Pompidou, and employ conservation standards advocated by Getty Conservation Institute and collections practices of Smithsonian Institution.

Notable Collaborations and Projects

The studio has produced editions with major contemporary artists who have exhibited at Museum of Modern Art, Tate Modern, Guggenheim Museum, and international fairs like Art Basel. Collaborative projects include print series by artists associated with Candrieu, Kara Walker, Richard Serra, Ed Ruscha, and Julie Mehretu, as well as thematic projects presented at National Gallery of Art and curated exhibitions at Portland Art Museum. The press’s partnerships extend to academic initiatives with faculties from University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, and visiting artists from programs hosted by California College of the Arts and San Francisco Art Institute.

Collections and Exhibitions

Works published by the press are held in the permanent collections of institutions including Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Art Institute of Chicago, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, National Gallery of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and regional museums such as Fremont Art Association and Oakland Museum of California. Exhibition history includes solo and group shows at university galleries linked to Yale University, Columbia University, and collaborative displays at international venues like Tate Modern and Centre Pompidou.

Education, Outreach, and Residencies

The press conducts educational programs, workshops, and artist residencies collaborating with community partners such as California College of the Arts, University of California, Berkeley, and nonprofit organizations akin to Creative Growth Art Center and residency hosts like Headlands Center for the Arts. Outreach initiatives connect with school programs in the San Francisco Unified School District and public arts programming coordinated with agencies similar to NEA and California Arts Council.

Awards and Recognition

Paulson Fontaine Press and associated artists have been recognized through acquisitions, awards, and exhibition invitations from institutions including National Endowment for the Arts, Guggenheim Fellowship recipients, museum purchase awards from Metropolitan Museum of Art and Museum of Modern Art, and honors spotlighted by regional arts councils and foundations such as Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Getty Foundation.

Category:Printmaking studios Category:Arts organizations based in California