Stanley William HAYTER

Well-known for his colorful Surrealist style and founding the printmaking workshop Atelier 17, Stanley William HAYTER (English, 1901-1988) was one of the most important printmakers of the 20th century. Hayter was born in Hackney, London to a painter, William Harry Hayter. Although he studied chemistry and geology at King's College, London and had a brief career in the oil industry, he moved to Paris in 1926 to study art. He met pure-line engraver and printmaker Joseph Hecht, who introduced him to printmaking and encouraged Hayter to start a printmaking studio for artists of all skill levels. It was called Atelier 17 and is arguably one of the most famous fine art print studios in modern history. Notable artists such as Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Alexander Calder, and Jackson Pollock came to Atelier 17 to create prints. Hayter would create prints right alongside of them, with a style that combined Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism into twisted galaxies of color and undulating lines.