“Parts Department,” Audrey Grendahl Kuhn’s 1970s signed etching (30x22), edition 35/100, an embossed industrial assemblage evoking tools, mechanics, and modern design.
“Parts Department” is a compelling 1970s intaglio etching with deep embossment by American artist Audrey Grendahl Kuhn, measuring 30 x 22 inches and signed and numbered 35/100. This highly tactile composition showcases Kuhn’s exceptional ability to elevate everyday industrial forms—gaskets, brackets, mechanical fittings—into a sophisticated modernist arrangement. Rendered in rich earth tones, blackened metal textures, and warm rust hues, the artwork highlights the interplay between engineering precision and artistic expression.
Kuhn’s background as a designer at the Ford Motor Company directly informs this work. Her technical clarity, exacting craftsmanship, and architectural sensibility transform utilitarian components into a striking visual rhythm. “Parts Department” exemplifies the crossover of mid-century modern industrial design and fine-art printmaking—making it a standout work for collectors of American abstraction, design-inspired artworks, and dimensional intaglio prints.
Artwork Description
“Parts Department” is constructed as an orderly yet visually dynamic grid of mechanical component silhouettes, each printed with intaglio depth and embossed relief. Kuhn employs multiple printmaking techniques—including engraving, collagraph-like texture plates, and heavily embossed forms—to achieve a sculptural surface reminiscent of metal, rubber, and gasket materials. The work’s warm iron-oxide palette and distressed textures echo machine shops, tool rooms, and industrial manufacturing environments of the mid-20th century.
The composition reads like a blueprint or assembly board, reflecting Kuhn’s early training in graphic design and industrial illustration. The juxtaposition of geometric openings, bolted shapes, and rounded edges creates a rhythmic pattern that is both technical and artistic. The plate’s worn textures, crackled patinas, and varied pressure create a sense of history and use—honoring the quiet beauty of functional objects.
Signed and numbered 35/100, the impression is crisp, deeply embossed, and displays rich tonal values throughout.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY — AUDREY GRENDAHL KUHN
Audrey Grendahl Kuhn (Born 1929, Chicago, Illinois) is an American printmaker, graphic designer, and educator known for her technically refined intaglio etchings, embossed works, and symbolically rich abstractions created during the mid-20th century through the late 1970s and early 1980s. She is listed in Who’s Who in American Art, and her works are represented in numerous private and corporate collections throughout the United States.
Kuhn received her B.Des. from the University of Michigan, College of Architecture and Design (1952) and additional formal training at Skidmore College, the Russell Sage Division, and professional certification programs in art education. Her early career included significant work as a graphic artist at the Ford Motor Company (1952–56) and as assistant to the Art Director of Ford’s Public Relations Division (1956–57)—roles that shaped her precise visual language, meticulous craftsmanship, and modernist sensibilities.
From the 1960s into the 1970s, Kuhn expanded into fine art printmaking while working as a graphic artist for Shenendehowa High School (1970–72) and later as an art teacher at Shenendehowa Central Schools (1973–74). She also practiced as a part-time interior designer for Concept 2000 Interiors (1974–76), further integrating design principles into her fine art compositions.
Throughout the 1970s, Kuhn maintained an active exhibition career in the Northeast, with notable shows at:
• SUNYA Construction Fund, Albany, NY
• RPI Cultural Center, Troy, NY
• Mohawk-Hudson Regional, SUNYA Art Gallery (1973)
• Saratoga Art Fair (1973)
• Schenectady Museum (“Selections from the Stockade Art Show,” 1973–75)
• Shenendehowa Free Library (solo exhibition, 1973)
• Channel 17, Schenectady (solo exhibition, 1975)
• Unitarian Church of Schenectady (solo exhibition, 1976)
• The Arts Center, Albany (three-woman show, 1976)
• Shenendehowa Arts Festival (First Prize, 1976)
• Albany Artists’ Tent Show (First Prize in Graphics, 1976)
She was also a member or officer within several regional arts organizations, including:
• Graphic Artists, Capital District (Treasurer)
• Schenectady Museum Designer–Crafts Council
• New York State Art Teachers Association
• Oak Room Artists, Schenectady
• Lower Adirondack Region Council on the Arts
Her work was represented by:
• Schenectady Museum Sales–Rental Gallery
• Albany Institute of History and Art Sales-Rental Gallery
• Concept 2000 Interiors, Albany, NY
• Dayspring Graphics, Saratoga Springs, NY
Later Career & Legacy
Post-1977 records and artist-collector documentation show that Kuhn continued producing embossed intaglio prints, mixed-media works, and symbolically driven abstractions into the 1980s. Her works entered a variety of private, corporate, and institutional collections, consistent with her listing in Who’s Who in American Art, which cites both her fine art practice and her contributions as an educator and designer.
Her art is recognized for its refined craftsmanship, innovative embossing, and thematic integration of biological, cosmic, and geometric symbolism. Today, Audrey Grendahl Kuhn remains an important mid-century American printmaker whose work bridges design, architecture, and fine art through technical rigor and thoughtful conceptual clarity.
Audrey Grendahl Kuhn, “Parts Department,” 1970s. Intaglio etching with embossment, 30x22 in., signed and numbered 35/100. Industrial assemblage of mechanical forms; excellent impression.
CERTIFICATE OF VALUE & AUTHENTICATION
Artist: Audrey Grendahl Kuhn
Title: Parts Department
Date: 1970s
Medium: Intaglio Etching with Embossment
Edition: 35/100 (Signed & Numbered)
Dimensions: 30 x 22 inches
Authenticity: Guaranteed original signed and numbered intaglio etching by the artist.
Condition: Excellent; strong embossment; rich industrial palette; clean margins.
Provenance: Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC
Prepared For: Insurance, appraisal, and gallery documentation
. Provenance Chain
Artist: Audrey Grendahl Kuhn
Early private collection (Northeast U.S.)
Secondary market
Current Owner: Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC
“Parts Department,” Audrey Grendahl Kuhn’s 1970s signed etching (30x22), edition 35/100, an embossed industrial assemblage evoking tools, mechanics, and modern design.
“Parts Department” is a compelling 1970s intaglio etching with deep embossment by American artist Audrey Grendahl Kuhn, measuring 30 x 22 inches and signed and numbered 35/100. This highly tactile composition showcases Kuhn’s exceptional ability to elevate everyday industrial forms—gaskets, brackets, mechanical fittings—into a sophisticated modernist arrangement. Rendered in rich earth tones, blackened metal textures, and warm rust hues, the artwork highlights the interplay between engineering precision and artistic expression.
Kuhn’s background as a designer at the Ford Motor Company directly informs this work. Her technical clarity, exacting craftsmanship, and architectural sensibility transform utilitarian components into a striking visual rhythm. “Parts Department” exemplifies the crossover of mid-century modern industrial design and fine-art printmaking—making it a standout work for collectors of American abstraction, design-inspired artworks, and dimensional intaglio prints.
Artwork Description
“Parts Department” is constructed as an orderly yet visually dynamic grid of mechanical component silhouettes, each printed with intaglio depth and embossed relief. Kuhn employs multiple printmaking techniques—including engraving, collagraph-like texture plates, and heavily embossed forms—to achieve a sculptural surface reminiscent of metal, rubber, and gasket materials. The work’s warm iron-oxide palette and distressed textures echo machine shops, tool rooms, and industrial manufacturing environments of the mid-20th century.
The composition reads like a blueprint or assembly board, reflecting Kuhn’s early training in graphic design and industrial illustration. The juxtaposition of geometric openings, bolted shapes, and rounded edges creates a rhythmic pattern that is both technical and artistic. The plate’s worn textures, crackled patinas, and varied pressure create a sense of history and use—honoring the quiet beauty of functional objects.
Signed and numbered 35/100, the impression is crisp, deeply embossed, and displays rich tonal values throughout.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY — AUDREY GRENDAHL KUHN
Audrey Grendahl Kuhn (Born 1929, Chicago, Illinois) is an American printmaker, graphic designer, and educator known for her technically refined intaglio etchings, embossed works, and symbolically rich abstractions created during the mid-20th century through the late 1970s and early 1980s. She is listed in Who’s Who in American Art, and her works are represented in numerous private and corporate collections throughout the United States.
Kuhn received her B.Des. from the University of Michigan, College of Architecture and Design (1952) and additional formal training at Skidmore College, the Russell Sage Division, and professional certification programs in art education. Her early career included significant work as a graphic artist at the Ford Motor Company (1952–56) and as assistant to the Art Director of Ford’s Public Relations Division (1956–57)—roles that shaped her precise visual language, meticulous craftsmanship, and modernist sensibilities.
From the 1960s into the 1970s, Kuhn expanded into fine art printmaking while working as a graphic artist for Shenendehowa High School (1970–72) and later as an art teacher at Shenendehowa Central Schools (1973–74). She also practiced as a part-time interior designer for Concept 2000 Interiors (1974–76), further integrating design principles into her fine art compositions.
Throughout the 1970s, Kuhn maintained an active exhibition career in the Northeast, with notable shows at:
• SUNYA Construction Fund, Albany, NY
• RPI Cultural Center, Troy, NY
• Mohawk-Hudson Regional, SUNYA Art Gallery (1973)
• Saratoga Art Fair (1973)
• Schenectady Museum (“Selections from the Stockade Art Show,” 1973–75)
• Shenendehowa Free Library (solo exhibition, 1973)
• Channel 17, Schenectady (solo exhibition, 1975)
• Unitarian Church of Schenectady (solo exhibition, 1976)
• The Arts Center, Albany (three-woman show, 1976)
• Shenendehowa Arts Festival (First Prize, 1976)
• Albany Artists’ Tent Show (First Prize in Graphics, 1976)
She was also a member or officer within several regional arts organizations, including:
• Graphic Artists, Capital District (Treasurer)
• Schenectady Museum Designer–Crafts Council
• New York State Art Teachers Association
• Oak Room Artists, Schenectady
• Lower Adirondack Region Council on the Arts
Her work was represented by:
• Schenectady Museum Sales–Rental Gallery
• Albany Institute of History and Art Sales-Rental Gallery
• Concept 2000 Interiors, Albany, NY
• Dayspring Graphics, Saratoga Springs, NY
Later Career & Legacy
Post-1977 records and artist-collector documentation show that Kuhn continued producing embossed intaglio prints, mixed-media works, and symbolically driven abstractions into the 1980s. Her works entered a variety of private, corporate, and institutional collections, consistent with her listing in Who’s Who in American Art, which cites both her fine art practice and her contributions as an educator and designer.
Her art is recognized for its refined craftsmanship, innovative embossing, and thematic integration of biological, cosmic, and geometric symbolism. Today, Audrey Grendahl Kuhn remains an important mid-century American printmaker whose work bridges design, architecture, and fine art through technical rigor and thoughtful conceptual clarity.
Audrey Grendahl Kuhn, “Parts Department,” 1970s. Intaglio etching with embossment, 30x22 in., signed and numbered 35/100. Industrial assemblage of mechanical forms; excellent impression.
CERTIFICATE OF VALUE & AUTHENTICATION
Artist: Audrey Grendahl Kuhn
Title: Parts Department
Date: 1970s
Medium: Intaglio Etching with Embossment
Edition: 35/100 (Signed & Numbered)
Dimensions: 30 x 22 inches
Authenticity: Guaranteed original signed and numbered intaglio etching by the artist.
Condition: Excellent; strong embossment; rich industrial palette; clean margins.
Provenance: Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC
Prepared For: Insurance, appraisal, and gallery documentation
. Provenance Chain
Artist: Audrey Grendahl Kuhn
Early private collection (Northeast U.S.)
Secondary market
Current Owner: Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC
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