Skip to main content
Ended

The Personal Collection of Jean Milant

12 – 23 September 2025

Jean Milant (1943–2024) was a pioneering printmaker, publisher, and artist whose work helped define the Los Angeles art scene. As the visionary founder of Cirrus Editions and Cirrus Gallery, Milant established a printshop that became a vital force in contemporary printmaking. Cirrus is internationally renowned for its technical excellence, radical material experimentation, and profound collaborations with legendary artists who redefined the boundaries of the medium.

Born in Milwaukee, Jean Milant studied Fine Art at the University of Wisconsin and later attended the University of New Mexico. In 1968, Milant made the life-altering move to Los Angeles to train at the Tamarind Lithography Workshop, where he absorbed the rigorous technical foundation and collaborative ethos which would shape his career. In 1970, Milant founded Cirrus in Hollywood with an ambitious vision of printmaking as invention. As Milant explained, "the artist doesn't bring in a painting to make into prints. They come in with an idea that they want to talk about, and the ball just starts to roll." This spirit of co-creation positioned Cirrus as an inspiring hub for technical innovation and conceptual risk-taking.

Unlike other major print workshops in Los Angeles, Cirrus focused on emerging conceptual artists rooted in Southern California. Milant collaborated with figures such as Ed Ruscha, John Baldessari, and Vija Celmins, offering both technical mastery and conceptual openness.

The editions produced at Cirrus were not only formally daring, but also of exceptional quality — known for their precision, subtlety, and craft. These qualities earned Milant and his studio the lasting international respect of artists, collectors, and institutions. Milant played a critical role in establishing Los Angeles as a global centre for contemporary printmaking. His legacy endures in the artists he championed, the editions he helped realise, and the collaborative ethos he brought to every project.

Auction highlights

Lot gallery

98 lots available

GUY DE COINTET(1932-1983)Animated Discourse; A Few Drawings

FRED EVERSLEY(1941-2025)Rigel; Sirius; Vega 3

CLAIRE FALKENSTEIN(1908-1997)Mandala I; Never Ending Screen; Structure Graphica 3

LLYN FOULKES(B. 1934)In Memory of F.G. Hough no. 1

JOE GOODE(1937-2025)Untitled 3

JOE GOODE(1937-2025)Untitled (2) 4

BARBARA KRUGER(B. 1945)You're Right (And You Know it and So Should Everyone Else)

HELEN LUNDEBERG(1908-1999)Three Oranges

ALLAN MCCOLLUM(B. 1944)For The Millions/Just For You

JEAN MILANT(1943-2025)A Group of 6 Lithographs 6

BRUCE NAUMAN(B. 1941)Perfect Door; Perfect Odor; Perfect Rodo 3

LARI PITTMAN(B. 1952)This Landscape, Beloved and Despised, Continues Regardless

LARI PITTMAN(B. 1952)A Group of 3 Lithographs 3

KEN PRICE(1935-2012)Jivaroland Frog Cup

ED RUSCHA(B. 1937)Twentysix Gasoline Stations, from Book Covers

ED RUSCHA(B. 1937)Fruit-Metrecal Hollywood

ED RUSCHA(B. 1937)Hot Shot, from 18 Small Prints

ED RUSCHA(B. 1937)Egg, from Domestic Tranquility

ED RUSCHA(B. 1937)Billy; Edward Ruscha (ED-WERD REW-SHAY) Young Artist 2

MARY WEATHERFORD(B. 1963)Union Ave; California 2

HORACE CLIFFORD WESTERMANN(1922-1981)Three plates, from See America First 3

HORACE CLIFFORD WESTERMANN(1922-1981)The Dance of Death (San Pedro)

CHARLES WILBERT WHITE(1918-1979)Evening Song

CHARLES WILBERT WHITE(1918-1979)Mayor Thomas Bradley

News and stories

Additional information