The Davis Museum at Wellesley College will present Martin Luther: Protest in Print, an exhibition of 16th century prints and books commemorating the 500th anniversary of Luther’s nailing of the Ninety-Five Theses or the Disputation on the Power of Indulgences to a church door in Germany. The exhibition, which visually demonstrates the role of print in disseminating reform, will be on view in the Morelle Lasky Levine ’56 Works on Paper Gallery from September 20 through December 17, 2017. Institutions worldwide are observing this anniversary throughout the year.

Martin Luther, a German theologian and religious reformer born in 1483, is considered the catalyst of the 16th century Protestant Reformation. As a means to voice complaint against the corruption of the Church, Martin Luther utilized the printing press to distribute copies of the Ninety-Five Theses throughout Germany within weeks, and throughout Europe within months. At the same time, the print medium experiencing a great flourishing of artistic innovation—especially in German-speaking areas—led by artists such as Albrecht Dürer, and Lucas Cranach. These artists inhabited circles close to Martin Luther, and reform sensibilities pervaded the themes and details of their art.

“This religious movement was a turning point in history,” said Meredith Fluke, Kemper Curator of Academic Programs, and exhibition curator. “During this period, the printing press was recently invented, and was quickly used as a tool for propaganda. This has been compared to the role that social media has played in defining and organizing reform movements throughout the world today.”

Martin Luther: Protest in Print includes approximately 60 prints and 15 publications drawn from the collections of the Davis Museum and the Yale University Art Gallery, with books from the Special Collections of Wellesley College. The exhibition explores the history and popular thought that supported Luther’s grievances, the impact of the print medium on the circulation of protest and reform materials, and the artistic response to Reform ideologies. The exhibition is loosely organized in themes: Pre-Reformation Piety, Portraiture, Luther’s Theology, and the Secular World

Protest in Print is curated by Meredith Fluke, Kemper Curator of Academic Programs, in collaboration with Professor Simon Grote of the History Department. The exhibition is presented with generous support by the Mary Tebbetts Wolfe ‘54 Davis Museum Program Fund.

RELATED PUBLIC PROGRAMS

FALL OPENING CELEBRATION

Tuesday, September 19

6:30 - 9 p.m.

Remarks at 7 p.m.

Davis Lobby and Galleries

The Davis Museum invites the public to celebrate the opening of its fall 2017 exhibitions—including six special installations that bring spectacular energy and creative visual innovation to the Wellesley College campus. Guests may welcome visiting artist Eddie Martinez in debuting his major solo exhibition, Ants at a Picknic, and enjoy a first look at Hrair Sarkissian: Horizon; Martin Luther: Protest in Print; Life on Paper: Contemporary Prints from South Africa; Soong May-ling: Paintings; and David Teng Olsen: Smoked My Head on Yes Waters.

CURATORIAL GALLERY TALK: MARTIN LUTHER: PROTEST IN PRINT

Tuesday, October 24th

4 p.m.

Morelle Lasky Levine ’56 Works on Paper Gallery

Kemper Curator Meredith Fluke and Simon Grote, Assistant Professor of History at Wellesley College lead a discussion of Martin Luther, the Reformation, and the books and prints that were both a result of and an agent for the historical changes of the 16th century.

PRINTING DEMONSTRATION

Tuesday, November 7  

4 p.m.

Meets in Lobby of Clapp Library Lobby

Demonstration takes place at Book Arts Lab

During the Reformation, the medium of printing was utilized to great effect to circulate ideas and effect change. Join Katherine M. Ruffin, Director of Book Studies and the Book Arts Program, for a demonstration of letterpress printing techniques, including the hand composition of metal type and printing on the iron hand press. A woodcut image will be printed along with type.