Art Deco 1925, Michael Knigin (1942–2011), 1980, color lithograph, 21x34 in, signed & ed. 255/300.
Art Deco 1925 (1980) is a bold, signed color lithograph by Michael Knigin (1942–2011), master printmaker, founder of Chiron Press, and NASA Art Team member. Edition 255/300, 21 x 34 inches. This striking Deco revival composition features a sculptural female figure set against dynamic geometric striping and a dramatic sky, merging 1920s machine-age design with late 20th-century graphic precision. Provenance: Mitch Morse Gallery; Artfind Gallery, Washington DC.
Artwork Description
Created in 1980, Art Deco 1925 reflects Michael Knigin’s sophisticated engagement with historical design movements and his deep technical mastery of fine art lithography. The composition pays homage to the 1925 Paris Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs, widely recognized as the defining moment of the Art Deco movement.
The central figure is rendered as a monumentalized female form with elongated proportions and stylized facial geometry. Her body is treated with a warm wood-grain tonality, evoking carved architectural relief or polished veneer sculpture. This illusion of materiality demonstrates Knigin’s sensitivity to surface and his understanding of how lithography can simulate sculptural depth.
To the left, bold vertical bands of black and yellow rise dramatically against a red ground edged with triangular sunburst motifs—hallmarks of Deco’s machine-age optimism. The angular zigzag form cutting across the torso reinforces the era’s fascination with speed, electricity, and industrial modernity. Behind the figure, a softly modulated sky introduces atmospheric depth, balancing the rigid geometry with serenity and spatial openness.
The lithographic execution is crisp and controlled, with clean separations of color and refined tonal gradations. Signed lower right “Knigin ’80” and numbered 255/300 lower left, this work exemplifies the artist’s printmaking precision during a mature period of his career. The vertical 21 x 34 inch format enhances the architectural authority of the figure.
Artist Biography
Michael Knigin (1942–2011) was born in Brooklyn, New York, and became one of the most influential American lithographers, print publishers, and educators of the late twentieth century. He attended and graduated from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University. During his junior year, he was awarded a Ford Foundation Grant to study fine art lithography at the renowned Tamarind Lithography Workshop in Los Angeles—an institution central to the revival of American lithography.
After graduating in 1966, Knigin began teaching at the Pratt Graphic Center in Manhattan, an extension of Pratt Institute devoted to fine arts and graphic prints. There he established a fine art lithography workshop. Within eighteen months, he founded Chiron Press, adding a silkscreen printing facility and creating the first workshop in the United States to combine lithography and screen-printing under one roof. For over seven years, Chiron Press printed and published editions for major contemporary artists including Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Paul Jenkins.
In 1970 and 1971, he co-authored two landmark books on lithography—Contemporary Lithographic Workshops Around the World and The Technique of Fine Art Lithography, both published by Van Nostrand Reinhold. One became a widely adopted textbook in the United States and Britain.
After selling Chiron Press in 1974, Knigin was invited by the Israel Museum and the Jerusalem Foundation to establish the first professional lithography workshop in Israel and to train young Israeli artists. He collaborated with the Ministry of Labor and Education and worked alongside nationally and internationally recognized artists from Israel, the United States, and Europe. His contributions to Israeli printmaking remain highly respected.
Returning to New York, he resumed creating his own prints and paintings and was appointed Professor at Pratt Institute, where he taught for decades. In 1988 he was appointed to the NASA Art Team and sent to the Kennedy Space Center to visually interpret the launch of the space shuttle Discovery, marking NASA’s return to space after the Challenger disaster. In 1991 he was recalled to interpret the touchdown of the space shuttle Atlantis at Edwards Air Force Base.
Knigin received numerous honors including a Cleo Award for art direction, a fellowship from the American Film Institute, an Art and Technology Grant, and two Certificates of Merit from the National Society of Illustrators. He judged seven national and international exhibitions. From 1978 onward he mounted seventeen solo exhibitions and participated in approximately 120 group exhibitions internationally.
His work is represented in more than sixty museum and corporate collections, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Albright-Knox Museum, the Smithsonian Institution, the Library of Congress, the Brooklyn Museum, the Israel Museum, the Cooper Hewitt Museum, the Mint Museum, the McNay Museum, the Mexico City Museum of Modern Art, NASA, the U.S. Department of State, and numerous major corporate collections. His work has been featured in approximately forty articles and publications including The New York Times, Art in America, and Art News.
Michael Knigin passed away in January 2011 from lung cancer. His legacy bridges fine art, print innovation, education, and institutional collaboration, with lasting influence in both the United States and Israel.
Michael Knigin (1942–2011), Art Deco 1925, 1980, color lithograph, 21 x 34 in, signed and numbered 255/300. Provenance: Mitch Morse Gallery; Artfind Gallery, Washington DC.
Certificate of Authentication
This certifies that the artwork titled Art Deco 1925, created in 1980 by Michael Knigin (1942–2011), is an authentic original color lithograph, hand-signed and numbered 255/300.
The work measures approximately 21 x 34 inches and was acquired from Mitch Morse Gallery, which sourced works in New York City and Europe. It is currently held by Artfind Gallery, Washington DC.
Condition
Very good vintage condition. Strong color saturation with minor age-related toning and light spotting in lower margins consistent with age. No visible tears or restoration. Signature and edition markings clear and intact.
Provenance
Mitch Morse Gallery, New York (acquired in NYC and Europe)
Artfind Gallery, Washington DC (current owner)
Art Deco 1925, Michael Knigin (1942–2011), 1980, color lithograph, 21x34 in, signed & ed. 255/300.
Art Deco 1925 (1980) is a bold, signed color lithograph by Michael Knigin (1942–2011), master printmaker, founder of Chiron Press, and NASA Art Team member. Edition 255/300, 21 x 34 inches. This striking Deco revival composition features a sculptural female figure set against dynamic geometric striping and a dramatic sky, merging 1920s machine-age design with late 20th-century graphic precision. Provenance: Mitch Morse Gallery; Artfind Gallery, Washington DC.
Artwork Description
Created in 1980, Art Deco 1925 reflects Michael Knigin’s sophisticated engagement with historical design movements and his deep technical mastery of fine art lithography. The composition pays homage to the 1925 Paris Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs, widely recognized as the defining moment of the Art Deco movement.
The central figure is rendered as a monumentalized female form with elongated proportions and stylized facial geometry. Her body is treated with a warm wood-grain tonality, evoking carved architectural relief or polished veneer sculpture. This illusion of materiality demonstrates Knigin’s sensitivity to surface and his understanding of how lithography can simulate sculptural depth.
To the left, bold vertical bands of black and yellow rise dramatically against a red ground edged with triangular sunburst motifs—hallmarks of Deco’s machine-age optimism. The angular zigzag form cutting across the torso reinforces the era’s fascination with speed, electricity, and industrial modernity. Behind the figure, a softly modulated sky introduces atmospheric depth, balancing the rigid geometry with serenity and spatial openness.
The lithographic execution is crisp and controlled, with clean separations of color and refined tonal gradations. Signed lower right “Knigin ’80” and numbered 255/300 lower left, this work exemplifies the artist’s printmaking precision during a mature period of his career. The vertical 21 x 34 inch format enhances the architectural authority of the figure.
Artist Biography
Michael Knigin (1942–2011) was born in Brooklyn, New York, and became one of the most influential American lithographers, print publishers, and educators of the late twentieth century. He attended and graduated from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University. During his junior year, he was awarded a Ford Foundation Grant to study fine art lithography at the renowned Tamarind Lithography Workshop in Los Angeles—an institution central to the revival of American lithography.
After graduating in 1966, Knigin began teaching at the Pratt Graphic Center in Manhattan, an extension of Pratt Institute devoted to fine arts and graphic prints. There he established a fine art lithography workshop. Within eighteen months, he founded Chiron Press, adding a silkscreen printing facility and creating the first workshop in the United States to combine lithography and screen-printing under one roof. For over seven years, Chiron Press printed and published editions for major contemporary artists including Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Paul Jenkins.
In 1970 and 1971, he co-authored two landmark books on lithography—Contemporary Lithographic Workshops Around the World and The Technique of Fine Art Lithography, both published by Van Nostrand Reinhold. One became a widely adopted textbook in the United States and Britain.
After selling Chiron Press in 1974, Knigin was invited by the Israel Museum and the Jerusalem Foundation to establish the first professional lithography workshop in Israel and to train young Israeli artists. He collaborated with the Ministry of Labor and Education and worked alongside nationally and internationally recognized artists from Israel, the United States, and Europe. His contributions to Israeli printmaking remain highly respected.
Returning to New York, he resumed creating his own prints and paintings and was appointed Professor at Pratt Institute, where he taught for decades. In 1988 he was appointed to the NASA Art Team and sent to the Kennedy Space Center to visually interpret the launch of the space shuttle Discovery, marking NASA’s return to space after the Challenger disaster. In 1991 he was recalled to interpret the touchdown of the space shuttle Atlantis at Edwards Air Force Base.
Knigin received numerous honors including a Cleo Award for art direction, a fellowship from the American Film Institute, an Art and Technology Grant, and two Certificates of Merit from the National Society of Illustrators. He judged seven national and international exhibitions. From 1978 onward he mounted seventeen solo exhibitions and participated in approximately 120 group exhibitions internationally.
His work is represented in more than sixty museum and corporate collections, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Albright-Knox Museum, the Smithsonian Institution, the Library of Congress, the Brooklyn Museum, the Israel Museum, the Cooper Hewitt Museum, the Mint Museum, the McNay Museum, the Mexico City Museum of Modern Art, NASA, the U.S. Department of State, and numerous major corporate collections. His work has been featured in approximately forty articles and publications including The New York Times, Art in America, and Art News.
Michael Knigin passed away in January 2011 from lung cancer. His legacy bridges fine art, print innovation, education, and institutional collaboration, with lasting influence in both the United States and Israel.
Michael Knigin (1942–2011), Art Deco 1925, 1980, color lithograph, 21 x 34 in, signed and numbered 255/300. Provenance: Mitch Morse Gallery; Artfind Gallery, Washington DC.
Certificate of Authentication
This certifies that the artwork titled Art Deco 1925, created in 1980 by Michael Knigin (1942–2011), is an authentic original color lithograph, hand-signed and numbered 255/300.
The work measures approximately 21 x 34 inches and was acquired from Mitch Morse Gallery, which sourced works in New York City and Europe. It is currently held by Artfind Gallery, Washington DC.
Condition
Very good vintage condition. Strong color saturation with minor age-related toning and light spotting in lower margins consistent with age. No visible tears or restoration. Signature and edition markings clear and intact.
Provenance
Mitch Morse Gallery, New York (acquired in NYC and Europe)
Artfind Gallery, Washington DC (current owner)
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