Enfilade

From Yale UP:

Holly E.J. Black, The Story of Printmaking: A Global History of Art (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2026), 272 pages, ISBN: 978-0300274080, $35.

A vivid history of the evolution of printmaking as a means of creative expression, from prehistory to the present day

The significance of printmaking within the history of art is often underplayed, obscured or misunderstood. This book tells the story of artist prints from across the globe in a manner that is accessible and engaging. It demystifies how prints are made—from woodblock to etching—and explores how, throughout history, printmaking has defied easy categorisation, straddling ‘fine’ art practices and commercially minded production. In fact, it has been employed as much for creative experimentation as it has for disseminating information.

Beginning in ancient East Asia and travelling through Renaissance Europe, revolutionary Mexico, and post-Apartheid South Africa, these ten chapters celebrate the interconnected nature of the printed image and its multiple histories, while illuminating the lesser-known players who have been deliberately or erroneously overlooked. Whether formed by slicing linoleum or plunging plates into acid, then distributed via bound books or pasted posters, the print has not just replicated the world, it has shaped it.

Holly E. J. Black is a London-based journalist and contributing arts editor at The World of Interiors. Her writing has appeared in titles including The Art Newspaper, Art Review, Financial Times, House & Garden, and Wallpaper. She is the author of Artists on Art.