Mavis Pusey: Printmaking and Painting Practice

The aim of this project is to investigate Mavis Pusey’s approach to process, materials, color, form, and the practice of printmaking, examining the formal and technical relationship between her painting and printmaking practices while contributing to preserving her legacy by conserving 21 prints and a drawing.

Mavis Iona Pusey (1928–2019) was a Jamaican-born American painter and printmaker working in geometric abstraction. Despite her participation in several important exhibitions, her artistic contributions did not receive the critical attention they deserved during her lifetime.

A 2025 retrospective on Pusey at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) in Philadelphia, set to travel nationally, aims to correct the historical lack of attention to Pusey's groundbreaking work in abstraction The Getty Research Institute and Getty Conservation Institute are partnering with the Studio Museum in Harlem and the ICA to realize a technical study of Pusey’s work and conserve several of her most significant prints. The outcomes of the project will be published and contribute to the broader effort to address the longstanding lack of technical studies on African American artists.

Current Team Members

• LeRonn Brooks (Getty Research Institute)
• Elyse Driscoll (Getty Research Institute)
• Ashley Freeman (Getty Conservation Institute)
• Tom Learner (Getty Conservation Institute)
• Natasha Logan (Studio Museum)
• Kara Olidge (Getty Research Institute)
• Sheila Prospero (Getty Research Institute)
• Hallie Ringle (ICA Philadelphia)
• Rachel Rivenc (Getty Research Institute)
• Kiki Teshome (Studio Museum)
• Rebecca Vera-Martinez (Getty Digital)

Previous Team Members

• Olivia Kuzio (Getty Digital)
• Douglas MacLennan (Getty Museum)