Paul D. Martin (1935-2021)

The Burchfield Penney Art Center celebrates the life of printmaker Paul D. Martin, who kind personality was appreciated at the museum and at SUNY Buffalo State, where he taught for decades. His elegant draftsmanship was evident in both drawings and prints, especially in his figurative work. The Center's only print, The Bath, depicts a female nude in a traditional composition; however, Martin also dared to depict male nudes during years when it was considered shocking. In addition to this work in the Center’s collection, his work has been collected by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Pratt Center for Contemporary Printmaking, the Pushkin Museum, Russia, and Kyoto City University in Japan.

Martin was born in Illinois and attended Southern Illinois University where he earned a B.A. in Art in 1959 and M.F.A. in Printmaking in 1961. He moved to Buffalo in 1965, became professor of fine arts at SUNY Buffalo State with a specialization in printmaking, and served as dean of the Arts Department for several years. He retired in 2000 and continued to create lithographs in his home studio. Martin was included in more than 90 solo and group exhibitions.