​Blackburn’s oeuvre is complicated to catalogue. He did not keep any records of his small-sized editions, and often did not produce editions at all. Frequently, his prints are slightly differing, unique versions—suites or genealogies of images.  Rather than creating identical twins, Blackburn produced sisters and brothers. He printed numerous state and color variants, reoriented his matrices 90 or 180 degrees, recycled parts of his matrices to new effect, and printed versions of his work years apart that he inscribed with different titles and various dates. His playfulness attests both to his facility with printmaking, as well as his rebellion against the idea of printmaking as a reproductive art.
 
This is a preliminary, essentially chronological listing that attempts to outline Blackburn’s major known graphic works and show the connections between works—at times across decades. This listing includes most of the major prints and the unique works on paper included in the exhibition, “Robert Blackburn: Passages,” presented at the David C. Driskell Center, University of Maryland, College Park (September 18-December 19, 2014), curated by Deborah Cullen. A version of this exhibition traveled to Wilmer Jennings Gallery at Kenkeleba, New York (January 29-March 21, 2015). This listing does not include all known Blackburn sketches and watercolors of the 1940s–1950s, nor does it list all private collections.
 
Corrections and additions are welcome via the Contact page.
 
All dimensions refer to images, not paper (which often varies).
Dimensions are in inches; height first, then width.