Some 350 engravings by Romantic era poet and artist William Blake have been discovered in the library of the University of Manchester.  A team of student and faculty researches uncovered the prints after an extensive, two-year search through the library’s archives.  According to library archivist Stella Halkyard:  “The students had some specialist training in identifying prints from David Morris at the Whitworth Art Gallery before hunting through the collection. They found out we actually had a huge number of commercial engravings by Blake.” (more…)

‪‬Tate Britain reaches fundraising goal of £45 million for various refurbishments to the building, including a “semi-permanent display” of historical British art featuring work by William Blake, David Hockney, and LS Lowry

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William Blake, Melancholy

“William Blake’s World: A New Heaven is Begun” runs at the Morgan Library & Museum through January 3, 2010. The Morgan has one of the the largest Blake collections in the world; this exhibition, containing some 100 works, is focused on providing an opportunity to view Blake’s extraordinary creativity throughout the many disciplines in which he worked. Assembled are some of Blake’s most spectacular watercolours, prints, and illuminated books of poetry.

Morgan Library & Museum Homepage [themorgan.org]
The Palace of Excess Imagination [NYTimes]
New Morgan exhibition to present genius of William Blake [ArtDaily]
Pictures courtesy of The Morgan Library & Museum

William Blake, America: A Prophecy

More text and pictures after the jump… (more…)