Fantasies and Fairy-Tales: Maxfield Parrish and the Art of the Print

Though recent scholarship has paid increased attention to Maxfield Parrish’s career as a fine artist, the immense popularity of his work during the early 20th century rested on his appeal as a commercial artist. In many cases, Parrish’s original paintings were a direct result of his commercial enterprises. Before abandoning figurative work in the 1950s, Parrish undertook hundreds of commissions for book illustrations, magazine covers, advertisements, and lithographs that reveal both his sense of humor and his eye for graphic design. This exhibition presents a comprehensive sampling of Parrish’s printed works, offering insight into the multifaceted relationship between the worlds of commercial and fine art.

Fantasies and Fairy-Tales: Maxfield Parrish and the Art of the Print was organized by the Trust for Museum Exhibitions, Washington, D.C.