Morisa Rosenberg
Head of Department
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.
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