Head of a Traveler by Adja Yunkers

This is a dramatic multi-colored woodblock print by noted American artist Adja Yunkers. It dates from 1952 and is titled Head of a Traveler. It is done in the abstract expressionist style so even with the orientation to the work provided by the title, the image itself doesn't resolve into a recognizable figure. The piece is extremely energetic with overlapping colors and bold black lines all created in a very gestural style. This is extremely difficult to do using woodblock printing, but Yunkers was a master. This piece is #3 of a collection titled "Portfolio of Five Prints" published by Ted Gotthelf and Rio Grande Graphics. The edition size of the portfolio was supposed to be 225, but because of slow sales, only 60 were ever issued. Apparently the numbering was somewhat random. Still this image is one of Yunkers most well-known works. It is held in many major museum collections including the National Gallery of Art, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Walker Art Center. The piece is signed and dated in pencil lower right, Yunkers-52. The edition is given as 31/225. The title is in pencil lower left. This example is in good condition. The colors are still vivid, however there is some toning of the paper. There is a slight area of discoloration in the lower right overlying the date, but not the image itself. The piece was examined out of the frame and there were no tears or paper loss. No other soiling or staining was noted. The piece has been archivally framed and matted to preserve it in its current condition. The price reflects the condition.

Adja Yunkers (1900-1983) Yunkers was born in Latvia, Adolf Eduard Vilhelm Junker. His artistic talents were recognized early, but documentation of his formal training is lacking. However, he followed a peripatetic path across the Western world that led him to interact with some of the most notable artists of the early 20th century. These include the Sturmgruppe (Emil Nolde, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, and Carl Friedrich Schmidt during his time in Germany, Wassily Kandinsky, Marc Chagall, and Alexander Archipenko from a stay in Russia, and Diego Rivera in Mexico. Despite these diverse influences (or perhaps because of them) Yunkers developed a distinctive abstract style that encompassed a wide range of artistic media including painting, drawing, and murals. He is best known as a printmaker coming to attention with a woodcut series from the 1930s on the Ten Commandments. His reputation as a graphic artist was established by the mid-1930s, but really took off in the post-war period. He moved to the United States in 1947, working and teaching across the country including Barnard College and Cal-Berkeley. He founded the Rio Grande Workshop in Albuquerque and taught there for many years. He came to lithography relatively late in his career, learning the technique in New Mexico at the Tamarind Workshop. This would become his dominant medium for the rest of his career. His work is held in major collections internationally including the Hamburg Kunsthalle, the Rijksmuseum, the Bibliotheque Nationale, and the Victoria and Albert Museum. United States collections include the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Corcoran Gallery, the Guggenheim, and the MoMA.