BASCOVE: The Time We Spend with Words

Permanent Collection Highlight Exhibition
March 12 through May 30, 2022

Known by the mononym, Bascove, Anne Bascove is a master printmaker, illustrator, painter, and collagist best known for her striking woodcut book jacket and magazine illustrations as well as for her series of paintings and drawings of the bridges of New York City. Inspired by the written word throughout her life, she has been a preeminent designer of book jackets that have engaged readers with the writings of many noted authors, including Alice Walker, Robertson Davies, Jerome Charyn, T.C. Boyle, and J.M. Coetzee. This exhibition will feature original illustrations from the Museum’s permanent collection of Bascove’s art for some of the most significant literary works of our time.

The Waves, 1995

Bascove
The Waves, 1995
Cover illustration for The Waves by Virginia Wolff, 1995
Woodcut print
Norman Rockwell Museum Collection, NRM.2017.03.256
© Bascove. All rights reserved.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

A. Bascove is a NYC-based collagist, painter, and printmaker. Born in Philadelphia, she received her B.A. from the Philadelphia College of Art. In Paris, living by the Seine, she started drawing bridges, an obsession that only intensified on her return to NYC. “From an early age I learned that the world only makes sense to me through art. My love of my City and fascination with science, architecture, and literature has always driven my explorations. I love to share that curiosity and exhilaration through my work.” She has lectured and arranged events with the Museum of the City of New York, the Arsenal in Central Park, the Central Park Conservancy, the Municipal Art Society, New York University’s Fales Library, and the Hudson River Museum. Three collections of her paintings have been published: Sustenance & Desire: A Food Lover’s Anthology of Sensuality and Humor, Where Books Fall Open: A Reader’s Anthology of Wit And Passion, and Stone and Steel: Paintings & Writings Celebrating the Bridges of New York City. Her political and literary work is in the Permanent Collection of the Norman Rockwell Museum. As a culture writer, she has contributed to Arte Fuse, Stay Thirsty, and New York Arts Magazine. Chosen by the US State Department’s Art in Embassies Cultural Exchange, her work was exhibited at the American Embassies of Sofia, Bulgaria and Muscat, Oman from 2016-2019.

The Time We Spend with Words: A Conversation w/Bascove & Steven Heller

Bascove
Strange Things Happen Here, 1979
Cover illustration for Strange Things Happen Here by Luisa Valenzela, Harcourt Brace Javanovich, 1979
Gouache on paper
Norman Rockwell Museum Collection, NRM.2017.03.252
© Bascove. All rights reserved.

On the Groundbreaking Art of Bascove’s Book Covers

Rebecca Rego Barry
May 3, 2022

From J.M. Coetzee to Alice Walker, a Book Designer Who Took Risks

Seldom do book jacket artists become household names, even in literary households, but there are a few whose work presents such a strong visual identity, readers and bibliophiles can pick them out—even seek them out, in the case of collectors.
Anne Bascove, known just as Bascove, is one of those artists, a master printmaker, illustrator, and painter who has designed dust jackets for Alice Walker, Robertson Davies, Jerome Charyn, T.C. Boyle, J.M. Coetzee, and others.

Read More
Once - Alice Walker

Bascove
Once, 1976
Cover illustration for Once by Alice Walker, 1976
Woodcut Print
© 1976 Bascove. All rights reserved.

Steven Heller: Bascove’s Shifting Perspective

Steven Heller
February 15, 2022

I’ve been enticed and excited by Bascove’s imagery ever since I first laid eyes on her signature book covers and jackets designed for publishers throughout the 1970s and 80s. Her emotionally-charged woodcuts, pen and brush drawings and hand-crafted gothic lettering grabbed my senses and intensified my interest. The books with her peerless illuminations of the essence author’s work were often put face-out on the shelves of my favorite bookselling haunts. That gesture is itself a high form of praise. The artwork certainly encouraged me to read the books.

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Bascove, Cover illustration for Aunt Jeanne by Georges Simenon, 1983
Bascove
Cover illustration for Aunt Jeanne by Georges Simenon, 1983
Woodcut/ink on paper
Published by: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
Norman Rockwell Museum Collection

New Collections Acquisition – Bascove: Literary Wonders

Stephanie Haboush Plunkett
Deputy Director/Chief Curator
August 28, 2017

Norman Rockwell Museum was fortunate this year to acquire, by generous donation, a comprehensive and significant collection of more than 500 original artworks by master printmaker, illustrator, painter, and collagist, Bascove. Inspired by the written word throughout her life, she has been a preeminent designer of book jackets that have engaged readers with the writings of many noted authors, including Alice Walker, Robertson Davies, Jerome Charyn, T.C. Boyle, and J.M. Coetzee. Distinctly expressionistic and beautifully designed, her striking woodcut illustrations have graced the pages of many publications, including Redbook, MIMS, Travel & Leisure, Life, and The New York Times, which published her conceptual imagery regularly on the paper’s OpEd pages.

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IMAGES

Strange Things Happen Here, 1979

Bascove
Strange Things Happen Here, 1979
Cover illustration for Strange Things Happen Here by Luisa Valenzela, Harcourt Brace Javanovich, 1979
Gouache on paper
Norman Rockwell Museum Collection, NRM.2017.03.252
© Bascove. All rights reserved.

Steve Biko’s Triumph, 1995

Bascove
Steve Biko’s Triumph, 1995
Illustration for “Steve Biko’s Triumph” by Karen Stabiner, Premiere magazine, November 1987
Woodcut print with watercolor
Norman Rockwell Museum Collection, NRM.2017.03.380
© Bascove. All rights reserved.

Christians Visited by Emissary, 1995

Bascove
Christians Visited by Emissary, 1995
Illustration for The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan, Encyclopedia Britannica, 1995
Linocut
Norman Rockwell Museum Collection, NRM.2017.03.200
© Bascove. All rights reserved.

The Third Life of Grange Copeland, 1979

Bascove
The Third Life of Grange Copeland, 1979
Cover illustration for The Third Life of Grange Copeland by Alice Walker, Harcourt Brace Javanovich, 1977
Woodcut print
Norman Rockwell Museum Collection, NRM.2017.03.252
© Bascove. All rights reserved.

Hands Holding Book, 1980

Bascove
Hands Holding Book, 1980
Illustration for “Howard University” by Karen DeWitt, “New York Times Book Review”, October 1980, p. 14
Woodcut print
Norman Rockwell Museum Collection, NRM.2017.03.075.3
© Bascove. All rights reserved.

RELATED EVENTS

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VENUE(S)

Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, MA      March 12 through May 30, 2022

Hours

OPEN
Mon 10am-4pm
Tue 10am-4pm
Thu 10am-4pm
Fri 10am-4pm
Sat 10am-5pm
Sun 10am-5pm

CLOSED
Wednesdays
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day
New Year’s Day
ROCKWELL’S STUDIO
Closed for the season.
Opens May 1, 2025

Special Holiday Hours: Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve: 10am-2pm.
When attending the Museum, please observe our COVID-19 policies; in addition to Massachusetts Travel Guidelines.

Admissions

There are limited daily tickets for tours of Norman Rockwell’s Studio. It is recommended you purchase your museum admission and studio tour tickets online in advance of your visit.  Museum Visit admission is required for all tours.

Buy Admission

Members Adult Seniors /
Veterans & Military		 Children MA Teachers College
Students
Museum Visit: Free $25 $23 Free $22 $10
Curator Tour:
Original Sisters		 $10 + $20 + $20 Free + $20 + $20
Guided Tour:
Rockwell’s Life & Art
(40 minutes)		 Free +$10 +$10 Free +$10 +$10

There are limited daily tickets for tours of Norman Rockwell’s Studio. It is recommended you purchase your museum admission and studio tour tickets online in advance of your visit.  Museum Visit admission is required for all tours.

Buy Admission

Museum Visit:
Members, Children, & Active Military: FREE
Adults: $25
Seniors & Retired Military: $23
MA Teachers: $22
College Students: $10

Guided Tour:
Rockwell’s Life & Art
(40 minutes) – additional purchase
Members, Children, & Active Military: FREE
Ticket per person: $10

Curator Tour:
Original Sisters
Members: $10
Children: FREE
Adults: $20
Seniors & Active/Retired Military: $20
College Students: $20

Additional Discount Opportunities:

  • Front Line Medical Workers receive free admission.
  • AAA member, NARM member, Stockbridge Resident, and EBT/WIC/ConnectorCare Cardholder discounts available.

For Free and Reduced prices, you may be required to present a valid ID demonstrating your status for qualifying for discounted pricing.

Available Discounts
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Connector Card is supported by:
Norman Rockwell Museum receives support from:

DIRECTIONS

Norman Rockwell Museum
9 Glendale Road Route 183
Stockbridge, MA 01262
413-931-2221

Download a Printable version of Driving Directions (acrobat PDF).

Important note: Many GPS and online maps do not accurately place Norman Rockwell Museum*. Please use the directions provided here and this map image for reference. Google Maps & Directions are correct! http://maps.google.com/

* Please help us inform the mapping service companies that incorrectly locate the Museum; let your GPS or online provider know and/or advise our Visitor Services office which source provided faulty directions.

Route 7 runs north to south through the Berkshires. Follow Route 7 South to Stockbridge. Turn right onto Route 102 West and follow through Main Street Stockbridge. Shortly after going through town, you will veer to the right to stay on Route 102 West for approximately 1.8 miles. At the flashing light, make a left onto Route 183 South and the Museum entrance is 0.6 miles down on the left.

Route 7 runs north to south through the Berkshires. Follow Route 7 North into Stockbridge. Turn left onto Route 102 West at the stop sign next to The Red Lion Inn. Shortly after you make the left turn, you will veer to the right to stay on Route 102 West for approximately 1.8 miles. At the flashing light, make a left onto Route 183 South and the Museum entrance is 0.6 miles down on the left.

Boston (two-and-a-half hours) or Springfield (one hour):
Take the Ma ssachusetts Turnpike (I-90) West, getting off at exit 10 (formerly exit 2) – Lee. At the light at the end of the ramp turn left onto Route 20 East and then immediately turn right onto Route 102 West. Follow Route 102 West into Stockbridge Center (about five miles). Continue going west on Route 102 (Main St.). Shortly after going through town, you will veer to the right to stay on Route 102 West for approximately 1.8 miles. At the flashing light, make a left onto Route 183 South and the Museum entrance is 0.6 miles down on the left.

from Albany and west: (one hour) Take I-90 east to exit B3 – Route 22. Go south on New York Route 22 to Massachusetts Route 102 East. Stay on Route 102 East through West Stockbridge. Continue on Route 102 East approximately 5.5 miles until you come to a blinking light at the intersection of Route 183. Make a right at the blinking light onto Route 183 South and the Museum entrance is 0.6 miles down on the left.

(two-and-a-half hours) Take either the New York State Thruway or the Taconic State Parkway to I-90 East. Follow I-90 East to exit B3 – Route 22. Go south on New York Route 22 to Massachusetts Route 102 East. Stay on Route 102 East through West Stockbridge. Continue on Route 102 East approximately 5.5 miles until you come to a blinking light at the intersection of Route 183. Make a right at the blinking light onto Route 183 South and the Museum entrance is 0.6 miles down on the left.

(one-and-a-half hours) Take I-91 North to the Massachusetts Turnpike. Take the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) West, getting off at exit 10 (formerly exit 2) – Lee. At the light at the end of the ramp turn left onto Route 20 East and then immediately turn right onto Route 102 West. Follow Route 102 West into Stockbridge Center (about five miles). Continue going west on Route 102 (Main St.). Shortly after going through town, you will veer to the right to stay on Route 102 West for approximately 1.8 miles. At the flashing light, make a left onto Route 183 South and the Museum entrance is 0.6 miles down on the left.

(five minutes)
Go west on Route 102 (Main St.). Shortly after going through town, you will veer to the right to stay on Route 102 West for approximately 1.8 miles. At the flashing light, make a left onto Route 183 South and the Museum entrance is 0.6 miles down on the left.