The Dutch artist Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898 – 1972) is one of the most famous printmakers of the twentieth century, and his prints have become some of the most valued and recognizable images in the world today.

During his lifetime Escher created 450 different lithographs, woodblock prints, and mezzotints. He considered himself “a printmaker, heart and soul,” using drawings and watercolors solely as preparation for his final prints. He worked with geometric figures, perspective, and multiple realities that combine beauty, art, math, and the impossible to expand the very boundaries of our perception.

His most famous graphic works include Reptiles, Drawing Hands, Ringsnakes, Relativity, Puddle, Waterfall, Encounter, and Metamorphosis. In addition to these major prints, which sell for the price of an automobile, Escher also created dozens of smaller woodcuts that are surprisingly affordable for many collectors.