1881-1962
Martin Lewis was born in Australia and came to America in 1900. He worked for a time in San Francisco painting stage decorations and came to New York in 1909. He was working first as an illustrator and made his first etching in 1915. He traveled to Japan where he lived and worked for a couple of years. He then returned to New York and his printmaking really came into its own. He was a technical magician with a great understanding of composition and a remarkable ability to draw on the plate. From 1944-1952 Lewis taught a graphic arts course at the Art Students League. He was friends with Edward Hopper and Hopper sought out his advice on making prints. According to the McCarron raisonné , Lewis editioned 147 prints between 1915 and 1953.
