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David Shrigley|Ten Woodcuts

David Shrigley's 'Ten Woodcuts' is two portfolios of ten woodcuts, from 2007 and 2008, published by Galleri Nicolai Wallner in editions of 20. Both were printed at Michael Schäfer's print workshop in Copenhagen, each sheet printed on paper from a wooden block carved with one of Shrigley's deadpan drawings or short phrases.

All Ten Woodcuts Works By David Shrigley (0)

No works found in this series.

Significance & Analysis

The two 'Ten Woodcuts' portfolios are where Shrigley's woodcuts grew in scale. They followed a 2005 portfolio of 22 woodcuts on smaller sheets, and the 2008 sheets are larger again than those of 2007.

From drawing to woodblock

Shrigley is best known for drawings with hand-lettered text. In a woodcut, the drawing is carved into a flat block of wood: the areas cut away stay blank, and the raised surface left standing is inked and pressed onto paper. That slows his drawing down, because every line and letter has to be carved, in reverse, before it can be printed. The 2007 sheets are printed in black and white, and in 'Untitled (Black Face)' the printed grain and shapes of the wood form two figures in conversation.

Two sets of ten

The 2007 titles range from phrases such as 'Untitled (Stop)', 'Untitled (Dear God)' and 'Untitled (Nobody Likes You)' to 'Untitled (Two Faces)', 'Untitled (Kidneys)' and 'Untitled (Mountain Eyes)'. Three of the 2008 titles turn to death, 'Untitled (Death)', 'Untitled (Skull)' and 'Untitled (Graveyard)', and a fourth is 'Untitled (Meaninglessness)'. Each portfolio also has a sheet titled with a form of his name, 'Untitled (D.S.)' in 2007 and 'Untitled (Dshrig)' in 2008, echoing the 'D. Shrig' he has used to sign books.

What came next

Shrigley has worked with Schäfer in Copenhagen for more than 20 years, and he has recently returned to woodcut there. The new woodcuts are single images rather than portfolios, mostly in editions of 30, among them 'I Will Not Be Ridden' in 2024 and 'Pig Loves You' in 2025.

What Size Are the Ten Woodcuts Sheets?

The 2007 sheets measure 80 x 59.7 cm, with the image and the sheet the same size. Half of the ten are upright and half are turned landscape, at 59.7 x 80 cm. The 2008 sheets measure 107.8 x 76 cm, again with image and sheet the same size, and their orientation also changes from sheet to sheet, so some hang landscape at 76 x 107.8 cm.

Are the Ten Woodcuts Prints Signed and Numbered?

Yes. Every sheet in both portfolios is signed and numbered by Shrigley. The 2007 sheets are signed with his initials and the date, 'DS 07', at lower right and numbered at lower left. The 2008 sheets are numbered in pencil at lower left.

Were the Ten Woodcuts Sheets Sold Individually or as a Set?

Each portfolio was sold as a set of ten unframed sheets. Every sheet in a set carries the same edition number, so a complete set numbered 9/20 shows 9/20 on all ten sheets. When buying, check that all ten titles are present and that the numbers match across the set.

Are the Ten Woodcuts Portfolios in Museum Collections?

Yes, both are. The Museum of Modern Art in New York holds a complete set of the 2008 portfolio, number 9 of 20, given by Galleri Nicolai Wallner. The Minneapolis Institute of Art holds a complete set of the 2007 portfolio, number 1 of 20, received in 2018 as part of a gift that also included Shrigley's 2005 woodcut and etching portfolios.