About the Print Club

Founded in 1919, the oldest print club in the United States, the Print Club of Cleveland has been a source of enrichment for print collectors and enthusiasts for more than 100 years. The club has remained dedicated to the founders' purposes of stimulating interest in old master and contemporary prints and print collecting, as well as augmenting the print collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Print Club has purchased some of the crown jewels of the museum's print collection, including unsurpassed impressions of prints by masters of every period—such as Albrecht Dürer, Rembrandt, Edgar Degas, and Pablo Picasso. The commitment and support of club members continues unabated and about one-third of the museum's superb collection of more than 20,000 prints are gifts from the club or its members. The Print Club's activities include outreach to the larger community. By sponsoring lectures that are open to the public, as well as the Fine Print Fair, the club continues to educate the general public about printmaking and stimulate interest in the fascinating and enjoyable activity of print collecting.

The Fine Print Fair is the Print Club of Cleveland's annual benefit for the museum's Department of Prints and Drawings. Each year dealers from around the country exhibit and sell fine prints—from old master to contemporary—plus drawings and photographs. The Fine Print Fair is a major art event in Cleveland and draws an enthusiastic crowd to the preview benefit, as well as to lectures, demonstrations, and to view and purchase prints throughout the three day event.