By MARY DEYOE

In December, when Printworks’ 35th Anniversary show The Return of the Exquisite Corpse opened, none of the 105 artists on view had seen their final works. The gallery’s co-directors directors, Sidney Block and Bob Hiebert, invited each of the artists to create one piece of an exquisite corpse (either a head, torso, or legs). The artists knew only which body part they were responsible for creating and did not have any sense of the rest of the piece – including who the other collaborating artists would be. The resulting work is stunning to say the least, and in many cases, curious, bold and kindred.

“We tried to include as many artists as we could,” said Hiebert, who began organizing the show two years ago. While a large number of the artists in the show, including Audrey Niffenegger, Ed Paschke, and Karl Wirsum, are represented by Printworks, others include those who have just become wonderful friends over the years.

In talking to Hiebert it is clear that friendships and relationships have always been the driving force behind the gallery, the central one being the relationship between Hiebert and Block, who met in the 1970s and bonded over a love of classical music. They became fast friends and eventually business partners.

Exquisite corpse is a tradition that originated in the early 1900s with the Surrealists. Each participant adds to a composition, often without knowing what was done by the person before. When written, the pattern may follow rules such as: subject – verb – predicate. In art, the objective is to create a body. One artist draws a head, the next the torso, and a third the legs.

The show features 35 works and reprises the gallery’s 2000 exhibition, The Exquisite Corpse, which presented 21 corpses for the 21st century. In 2003 Printworks did a similar exhibition in honor of Block’s 80th birthday. Hiebert, as a surprise for his business partner, contacted nearly 200 artists asking each of them to complete a segment of a snake that would be secretly installed down the street in Jean Albano Gallery. The 250-foot long work on paper started with a head by Jules Feiffer and ended with a tail by Ed Paschke. Along the way, one encountered contributions by Leon Golub, Vera Klement, Gladys Nilsson and Nancy Spero. The snake was donated to Northwestern University’s Block Museum (no relation) in 2006 by Sidney and his late wife, Hanna.

Return of the Exquisite Corpse is an incredible documentation of several generations of Chicago artists. It also recalls the rich history of the gallery, which has maintained an impressive roster of artists and continues to produce unique shows through many shifts in the gallery and art world.
The show also illustrates the incredible devotion and generosity that Block and Hiebert have shown to their artists and friends. “From the beginning, Sid always said ‘pay the artists first. Without them you have nothing,’” recalls Hiebert.

The pair, since moving in 1982 to their current location (the gallery spent its first two years at 620 N. Michigan Avenue, along with Carl Hammer and Richard Gray) have kept their desks just inside the front door, ready to welcome each visitor. “We specifically placed our desks in front. It is a way for us to be available to engage and to break that horrible barrier of galleries being standoff-ish.”

When they first opened the gallery in 1980, Block and Hiebert sold only prints. Over the years, that focus shifted to include all types of works on paper, including artists books and some photographs. The overwhelming majority of the work they sell costs between three and four figures. It is a modest and rare approach – in contrast to the focus other galleries place on large pieces that can bring in a significant amount of money at once.

Just before press time in November 2015, Block passed away at age 91. Heibert, 68, admits it is hard to know how long the gallery will stay open. But after 35 years in business together and 46 years of friendship, “It has been a charmed life,” he says. “The gallery is a reason to get up every morning.”

It is clear that this anniversary show honors much more than just that.

Return of the Exquisite Corpse: 35th Anniversary Group Show runs through February 13, 2016 at Printworks, 311 W. Superior, Suite 105.