Herman Zaage (1927-2008)
Liberty Refurbished
Woodcut, Edition 30, 1986, 20"x 24 ¾"

Herman Zaage (1927-2008) is an internationally known printmaker. A beloved teacher and environmentalist, he is the son of German immigrants who raised him in a home filled with music and art. During high school, he took art courses offered by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), and he served during World War II by designing and printing Army posters and training aids. While working as a photoengraver in the 1960s, he began his long career as a printmaker and specialized in mezzotint, one of the most difficult techniques to master. In 1976, he became one of the founders of the Art Lab and taught printmaking there for 32 years. His prints are in the collection of this museum, the Staten Island Museum, the Museum of the City of New York, the Portland Art Museum, the Purdue University Gallery, and the University of Arizona Art Museum. In 2001, the Noble Maritime Collection presented a retrospective of his work; and in 2005, we published a catalogue raisonné of his print oeuvre, Bon à tirer: The Prints of Herman Zaage, which won a design award from the American Association of Museums. Herman, one of the original five trustees of the museum, was a dedicated Noble Crewman and an annual supporter of our auction.