Pedro de Lemos: A Visionary Who Transformed American Art

An Illustrated Public Talk with Curator, Dr. Robert W. Edwards

After a brief introduction, which summarizes the advancement of Pedro de Lemos (1882-1954) as a celebrated artist, educator, and proponent of the Arts & Craft Movement, the focus turns to his astonishing innovations in the field of printmaking.  In the early 1900s etchings, aquatints, and color block prints were considered esoteric and expensive disciplines that were taught at a few established art schools and universities.  In a series of publications illustrated with his own art de Lemos radically simplified the methods of printmaking, often relying on equipment and materials found in the average home.  These techniques combined with his unconventional theories on color resulted in an explosion of print exhibitions across the country.  The use of pastels, which had diminished markedly at the turn of the century, was popularized by de Lemos who devised a new system for applying the crayons as well as an invention to create pastels at night.

For Stanford University and the surrounding Bay Area communities his impact was no less significant.  Across Palo Alto and at the Allied Arts Guild in nearby Menlo Park de Lemos helped to design and decorate buildings in the Spanish revival style, employing the finest craftsmen, including his own wife.  For nearly thirty years in his capacity as Director and Curator of the University Museum and Art Gallery he hosted a near continuous series of exhibitions ranging from European masters to local art students, many of whom became national figures.  He habitually displayed works by San Francisco, Berkeley, and Carmel artists, including frequent all-women shows. 

Concluding remarks will provide an assessment of de Lemos art and his continued influence. 

Pedro de Lemos. Lasting Impressions: Works on Paper, 1910-1945.
Exhibition Catalogue by Robert W. Edwards, available at the Stanford Bookstore.
A book signing with the Author will be held at the Stanford Art Gallery on Wednesday, October 25 at 3pm.

Image: The Path to the Sea. Courtesy of the Paula and Terry Trotter Collection.

VISITOR INFORMATION: Oshman Hall is located in the McMurtry Building on Stanford’s campus, at 355 Roth Way. Visitor parking is free after 4pm on weekdays, except by the oval. Alternatively, take the Caltrain to Palo Alto Transit Center and hop on the free Stanford Marguerite Shuttle.

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