ROTHENSTEIN, (William) MICHAEL

ROTHENSTEIN, (William) MICHAEL (1908–1993), British printmaker. The son of sir william rothenstein and brother of Sir John Rothenstein, he was educated at art schools in London and set up a private press outside London, becoming one of Britain's most distinguished printmakers, with a wide international reputation. Rothenstein is noted for the powerful imagery of his designs and for the constant search for new and often brilliant technical effects. He was a regular participant in all important international exhibitions of print-making. During World War II, he produced a famous series of watercolors of endangered sites, Recording Britain. He was awarded a Gold Medal for Engraving at the Buenos Aires Biennale. He wrote widely on his craft, particularly in two books, Frontiers of Printmaking (1966) and Relief Printing (1970). His work is to be found in all major public collections of graphic work, including the Tate Gallery, London, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Library of Congress, Washington. Rothenstein was elected to the Royal Academy in 1984. -ADD. BIBLIOGRAPHY: ODNB online; M. Gooding, Rothenstein's Boxes (1992); Tessa S., The Prints of Michael Rothenstein (1993). (Charles Samuel Spencer)