Artists Equity Triennial Exhibition from the collection of Villanova University Art Collection

Artists Equity Triennial Exhibition

Silkscreen poster

25 x 19 in

Inv: 1999-PHME-026

Available

Maitin produced art to support local causes as well as national politics. This poster promoted the Artists Equity Triennial Exhibition, which was a recurring art show run by Philadelphia’s local branch of Artists Equity. Maitin described the group as a type of “artists union” that fought to protect the rights of artists. He was an active member in the 1970s and even testified on their behalf in a court case that wanted to win printmakers stronger protections from fraudulent
fabrications.

Maitin often made colorful abstract prints similar to this one to support other causes. Sometimes he donated artwork to charities or made them to decorate public gathering places such as children’s hospitals and the Philadelphia Jewish Community Center. Maitin also took direct action to support local communities facing hardship. When urban developers sought to preserve the historic architecture of Philadelphia’s Society Hill neighborhood in a project of “urban renewal,” Maitin protested the displacement of Black and Eastern European immigrant families that this project of gentrification caused. In January of 2022, Maitin’s daughter Ani Maitin displayed his art in their family home on Pine Street in Society Hill to remember his dedication to the people of Philadelphia.

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From Villanova University Art Collection

Stanley Taft

Argos, c. 1979

Color Lithograph

17 x 16 in
Hobson Pittman

Avalon, 1971

Watercolor on paper

10.5 x 8 in
Hugo Storelli

Arrangement With White Objects

33.5 x 41 in
Ewald Namatjira

Australian Landscape

Watercolor on paper

6.5 x 9.5 in
Elizabeth Langsdorf Miller

Beach Picnic

Oil on board

14 x 9.75 in
Howard Lessnick

Autumn Sun

Etching

9.75 x 7 in
Katsushika Hokusai

At Chosi In Shimosa Province

woodblock print in colors

7.25 x 10.5 in
Benjamin Eisenstat

Assembly Hall

Watercolor on paper

11 x 15 in

View All Artworks

About the artist

Samuel Maitin

1928-2004

Sam Maitin (1928-2004) was an American painter, sculptor, printmaker, muralist, graphic designer, teacher, and political activist. Known as Philadelphia's unofficial "Mayor of the Arts", Maitin attended the Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Arts (later changed to University of the Arts) before working at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School of Communication, Woodmere Museum, and more.

Common visual themes among Maitin's work include geometric shapes, bright and unblended colors, and the occasional addition of text. His work is in the permanent collection of several museums throughout Europe and the United States.

Additional Artworks

Argos, c. 1979

Avalon, 1971

Arrangement With White Objects

Australian Landscape

Beach Picnic

Autumn Sun

At Chosi In Shimosa Province

Assembly Hall

About the artist

Samuel Maitin