Gala 2025 Auction Lot 14: Letterio Calapai

Letterio Calapai
Boston,
MA 1901–1993 Glencoe, IL
Aerialist, 1949

Aquatint and etching on paper, 17 ½ × 21 ¼ inches

Edition TP3 | Publisher: Atelier 17

Value: $3,325

Courtesy of Dolan/Maxwell Gallery

Framing courtesy of Frugal Framer

Born in Boston to a family of Sicilian immigrants, Italian American printmaker and educator Letterio Calapai was a key figure in the development of American printmaking. He is known for his social realist and politically themed work, which drew stylistically on German Expressionism and Post-Expressionism. His printmaking often took inspiration from literature, including the works of William Carlos Williams and Thomas Wolfe. Over his long career, Calapai worked for the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Arts Project and participated in the famed Atelier 17, alongside Stanley William Hayter. With Hayter’s support, Calapai established a printmaking department at the University at Buffalo and later taught at Brandeis University. Calapai's works are held in numerous public collections, including the Art Institute of Chicago; Asheville Art Museum; Baltimore Art Museum; Brauer Museum of Art; Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art; the Davis Museum; the Flint Institute of Arts; Harvard Art Museums; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Metropolitan Museum of Art; the National Gallery of Art; and the Worcester Art Museum.