NEW BRUNSWICK — A noted 20thcentury American etcher who captured intricate details of some of the most recognized Western architectural icons is the focus of a new exhibition at the Zimmerli Art Museum, 71 Hamilton St., on the CollegeAvenue campus of Rutgers University, New Brunswick.
“Aspects of Architecture: The Prints of John Taylor Arms” features 24 prints that offer views of France’s Gothic churches, Venice’s glorious Grand Canal palaces, and picturesque French and Italian towns made during the artist’s travels between 1919 and 1940, as well as a 1935 view of Manhattan’s skyline. The exhibition is on view through July 31.
“Arms believed that Gothic architecture was the supreme expression of mankind’s aspirations and dedicated his career to creating prints conveying the uplifting qualities of Europe’s architectural masterpieces,” said Marilyn Symmes, director of the Morse Research Center for Graphic Arts and the Zimmerli’s curator of prints and drawings.
The exhibition showcases the artist’s technical virtuosity in etchings documenting Europe’s most celebrated French Gothic cathedrals of Chartres, Rouen and Sens, along with rare, close-up glimpses of the gargoyle adornments.
Born in Washington, D.C., in 1887, Arms studied law at Princeton University before transferring to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1907 to pursue a degree in architecture.
From 1912 to 1914, he created meticulous drawings for the prestigious New York architectural firm Carrère and Hastings, while also overseeing his own architecture practice. In 1913, his wife presented him with an amateur etching kit and he taught himself printmaking.
In 1916, Arms gave up his architectural practice to enlist in the Navy, serving on a convoy during World War I.
Arms decided to dedicate his career to printmaking in 1919, and four years later began his ambitious project of documenting Europe’s major churches with a series of etchings. Traveling throughout France, Italy and Spain, he drew hundreds of studies of Gothic structures from which he later created detailed etchings in his Connecticut studio. Arms died in Connecticut in 1953.
The Zimmerli exhibition includes an introduction to the history of architectural prints, with works ranging from an 18thcentury view of Rome by Giovanni Battista Piranesi to a 2001 print of the World Trade Center by Richard Haas.
“We are very pleased this exhibition provides the opportunity to highlight the diversity of the museum’s extensive American and European print collection, while also offering images of architectural significance to all who enjoy remarkable buildings,” said Zimmerli Director Suzanne Delehanty.
Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month. Admission is $6 for adults; $5 for adults over 65; and free for museum members, Rutgers students, faculty and staff (with ID), and children under 18. Admission is free on the first Sunday of every month.