Explore the mind-bending art of M.C. Escher at Reading Public Museum’s new exhibition

The Reading Public Museum is set to host a captivating new exhibition showcasing the mind-bending works of renowned graphic artist M.C. Escher. Titled M.C. Escher: Infinite Variations, the exhibition opens on September 21, 2024, and runs through January 5, 2025, offering visitors a rare glimpse into over 150 pieces from a private collection. Escher's intricate woodcuts, lithographs, and etchings—famous for their exploration of mathematics, symmetry, and optical illusions—will be on display, allowing guests to delve into the artist's unique blend of art and science that has fascinated generations worldwide.

Escher's fascination with mathematical theory motivated him to produce imagery that constantly challenged notions of reality and its underlying structures. This comprehensive exhibition chronicles his journey as one of the world's most recognized artists by presenting the full range of media in which he worked from his time in Italy and Spain to his late works in the Netherlands.

Curator of art, Scott A. Schweigert noted that, "the scale and scope of the exhibition will give visitors of all ages insight into the unique creative process employed by Escher. The magic of Escher's appeal rests, in part, in his ability to engage the viewer with intricacy and seemingly impossible optical illusions that make us all question our own eyes. The show has been a huge hit at previous venues, and we anticipate our audience in southeastern Pennsylvania will flock to see the show while it is on view at RPM. Infinite Variations is a perfect blend of science and art, and the nostalgia and popular culture aspect will stir memories for many."

Visitors will encounter woodcuts, lithographs, etchings and even a lithography stone. Among the art on view are some of his most iconic works, including Day and Night, in which two flocks of birds blend into Holland's natural landscape, and Ascending and Descending, a 1960 print of an impossible building with a staircase that mirrors a twisting möbius strip. In addition to other famous images that made the artist's reputation, such as Drawing Hands, Waterfall Eye, and Relativity, the collection features some seldom displayed prints including the Griffin of Borghese, Still Life, and Street, and a series of mezzotints, among other engaging works.

Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898 – 1972) was born in Leeuwarden, the capital of Friesland in the Netherlands, but grew up in Arnhem. Although he studied architecture in Haarlem, he was drawn to graphic art. When Escher moved to Italy, his early output was dominated by advertising and images of the Italian landscape. He became famous for his tessellated, or tile-like, patterns after seeing Moorish tilework on a trip to the Alhambra and Granada, Spain in 1936. The rise of fascism forced him to flee Italy for Switzerland. He made his way to Belgium and returned to the Netherlands after the Nazi invasion and occupation.

Escher's increasingly sophisticated imagery gained an appreciative audience, especially during his first exhibition at Amsterdam's Stedelijk Museum in 1954, staged to coincide with the International Congress of Mathematicians. He remained skeptical of the enthusiasm for his work among fans of psychedelia during the 1960s, turning down a request from Mick Jagger to design an album cover. Some of his psychedelic "dorm room" posters will also be featured in the exhibition.

M.C. Escher: Infinite Variations is provided through PANART Connections, and is sponsored locally by the Marlin and Ginger Miller Exhibition Endowment.

The Reading Public Museum is supported in part by grants from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and is located at 500 Museum Road, Reading, Pa. Admission per day is $10 adults (18-64), $6 children/seniors/college students (w/ID) and free to Members and children three years old and under. The Museum is open daily 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit online: www.readingpublicmuseum.org

Reading School District students are granted free Museum and Planetarium access and may be accompanied by two adults at no cost. Students must show a District ID card, and the adults who accompany them must show proof they reside in zip codes within the District.