This is an etching by the famous American printmaker Stanley William Hayter. It is called Horizon Bars (subtitle Faust by the Sea). This etching was originally struck in 1932, however it was reissued under the artist's supervision by the Associated American Artists in 1974. This is from that 1974 edition. This was issued in a numbered set of 100 with additional artist proofs numbered with Roman numerals. This example is number 10/100. It is signed by the artist in pencil lower right with the date 32. The title is in pencil below the center of the image and the edition notation is lower left. The image is well struck and sharp. The paper is pristine. The plate size is 4.25 x 6 inches and the sheet is 11.5 X 15.5 inches. It is unframed and the sheet is loose--mounted with corner tabs on foam core. This is an excellent example of his work and much more affordable than the original 1932 printing.

Stanley William Hayter (1901-1988)
Hayter was one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. He worked in several media but is best known as a master printmaker. His career spanned more than 50 years. He was initially associated with the surrealists, but his later work is aligned with Abstract Expressionism. Interestingly, he did not start out studying art, rather he studied Chemistry and Geology, even working as a research scientist in the Middle East. He did paint as a hobby and in the 1920s moved to Paris to take up art as a profession. It was there that he experimented with highly innovative printmaking techniques, ultimately becoming recognized as a leader in intaglio printing. One technique that he pioneered was simultaneous color printing. Up to that point, multi-color prints required creating different plates to print each color separately, he was able to print multiple colors on one etched and engraved plate. This created more freedom for the artist consistent with the tenets of the Abstract Expressionist movement. He was widely celebrated both in England and abroad. He was knighted and received the Légion d'honneur in 1951, and was chosen to represent Great Britain at the 1958 Venice Biennale. He became Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in 1967.
While his work as an artist is noteworthy and groundbreaking, it was his founding of Atelier 17 in Paris in 1927 that cemented his legacy. Atelier 17 was active in Paris until 1939, but with the start of World War II, Hayter moved to New York and reopened Atelier 17 near the New School. In 1955, Hayter moved back to Paris, re-establishing the Atelier there and operating it until his death in 1988. It is still open now under the name Atelier Contrepoint. Virtually every significant artist of the 20th century frequented the Atelier, and the list of artists that studied or worked there include giants like Marc Chagall, Salvador Dali, Max Ernst, Joan Miro, Louise Nevelson, Louise Bourgeois, Pablo Picasso, Isabel Bishop, Mark Rothko, and many others. (It might be a shorter list to note those that did not have an association with the Atelier!). The Diverse Ayres inventory is replete with artists who were associated with the Atelier including Letterio Calapai, Werner Drewes, Douglas Gorsline, Salvatore Grippi, Terry Haass, Armin Landeck, Ruth Leaf, Gabor Peterdi, Rufino Tamayo, as well as some of the more famous artists listed above.