Prints by Paul Gauguin

WILLIAMSTOWN, MASS.

:The Clark will draw from its extensive holdings of works on paper to present the special installation, "Prints by Paul Gauguin," April 8 to June 19.

The show will include 14 of the post-Impressionist's woodcuts and lithographs, normally only on view by appointment to the Clark's print and drawings study room.

Among the highlights is a striking series of Zincographs (lithographs from zinc plates) on bright yellow paper. These works, first exhibited in 1889 at an artist's cafe in Paris, expressed Gauguin's distinctive style based on flat shapes and strong outlines. The subject matter drew from the artist's experiences in Arles, Brittany and Martinique.

Other prints inspired by Gauguin's subsequent travels to the South Seas show how he took up the largely forgotten medium of woodcut and revitalized it as a bold and expressive technique that he considered both "primitive" and modern.

The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute is at 225 South Street, and is open Tuesday-Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm. Gallery admission is free through May. From June 1 to October 31 admission is $10. For information, 413-458-2303 or www.clarkart.edu.