HISTORY

In 1955, a company in Cincinnati, Ohio named Permanent Pigments that had been milling oil colors since 1933 (and run by a man named Henry Levison, who lived, drank, slept, and breathed artist’s colors) launched a new product. This new artists’ color was formulated with an acrylic polymer resin that was emulsified with water. The new color could go from thick to thin and everywhere in between; it would adhere to anything – from canvas to paper to metal to wood to plastic– and it dried quickly for easy re-working, layering, and masking. Most important, it could be thinned and cleaned up with water.

Levison tried to come up with a name that captured the essence of the medium and the fact that it could go from fluid liquidity to heavy texture and everyplace else in between. The color was called liquid texture. Or Liquitex.

Levison was able to encourage a number of artists to try the product, but acceptance was slow. Acrylics didn’t gain full acceptance in the artist community until Levison figured out a principle that is still in place today: great information is as important as great materials. Based upon that foundation, Levison launched a lecture demonstration program in which artists offered workshops and lectures on the use of acrylics to college students and professors. Within a few years, acrylics were being used consistently in colleges and universities across the country. And it wasn’t long before Liquitex was being used by some of the most important artists of the late 20th century: David Hockney, Helen Frankenthaler, Andy Warhol and others. Because of its durability and versatility, Liquitex also became the medium of choice for large scale public murals by artists such as Garo Antreasian and Thomas Hart Benton. In fact, it’s fair to say that, without Liquitex and the working properties of water-based acrylics, 20th century art would have been completely different.

By the 1980’s, acrylics had become the most popular and widely used of all painting mediums, surpassing watercolor and oil, both by a wide margin. The reason? The infinite variety of applications of acrylics coupled with the spirit of innovation first shown by Liquitex.



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LIQUITEX FIRSTS


ACRYLIC PAINT

Liquitex® was first to develop:

  • Water-based fine art acrylic paint:
    Liquitex® Soft Body Professional Acrylic Color
  • Water-based acrylic mediums and varnishes:
    Liquitex® Gloss Medium & Varnish
    Liquitex® Matte Medium
  • Water-based acrylic gesso:
    Liquitex® Gesso.
  • Acrylic Modeling paste:
    Liquitex® Modeling Paste.
  • Heavy Body, water-based acrylic paint:
    Liquitex® Heavy Body Professional Artist Color
  • Heavy Body, water-based acrylic medium:
    Liquitex® Gloss Gel Medium
  • Removable acrylic varnishes:
    Liquitex® Soluvar Gloss Varnish
    Liquitex® Soluvar Matte Varnish
  • Pre-mixed "Custom Acrylic Colors":
    Liquitex® Modular Color System
  • Manufactured "Hue" Colors:
    Liquitex® heavy metal and fugitive replacement colors
  • Acrylic fluid retarder:
    Liquitex® Slow-Dri® Fluid Retarder
  • Acrylic gel retarder:
    Liquitex® Slow-Dri® Gel Retarder
  • Acrylic fluid opaque extender medium*:
    Liquitex® Opaque Fluid Extender Medium
  • Acrylic gel opaque extender medium*:
    Liquitex® Opaque Gel Extender Medium
  • Acrylic enamel paints:
    Liquitex® Glossies™ Acrylic Enamel Colors
  • Value Series acrylic paint, available in U.S.:
    Liquitex® Basics Acrylic Colors
  • Value Series matte acrylic paint:
    Liquitex® Basics Matt Acrylic Colors
  • Artist acrylic available in archival tubes:
    Seven layers of plastic, paper and metal
  • Clear drying, non-yellowing, acrylic resin:
    Available in all Liquitex® acrylic paints mediums
  • Super Heavy Body acrylic paint
    Liquitex® Super Heavy Body Professional Artist Color
    * Unique to Art Materials Industry

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TESTING & LABELING “FIRSTS”


Liquitex® was first to:

  • Invent the "weatherometer" to test the lightfastness of Liquitex® colors
  • List pigment identification and lightfastness ratings on artists’ paint container labels
  • Label paint for ASTM standards, for toxicity, quality and lightfastness
  • Become a member of original ASTM sub-committee that developed test standards for artist paints and related materials, established by the Federal Bureau of Standards
  • Label its acrylic paint colors according to Munsell hue, chroma and value
  • Obtain certification by ASTM to have passed specific tests for quality, performance and safety

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PAINT MANUFACTURING STANDARDS


  • Every color is oven and heat tested to simulate the worst conditions of storage and shipping
  • Every color is tested for pigment, sheen, viscosity, hue, value, chroma and pH standards
  • Soft Body colors are manufactured within a limited sheen range
  • All colors are manufactured to achieve the highest possible pigment load
  • All Liquitex® Acrylic Paints and Mediums have a 10 year minimum shelf life
  • Liquitex® containers do not chemically react with paint
  • All Liquitex® Acrylic Paints, Mediums and Varnishes use a unique resin system, insuring flexible, non-yellowing and high UV resistance

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TIMELINE


    1933
    Henry Levinson establishes Permanent Pigments Company, a small, family owned enterprise that makes artists’ oil paint.
    1950
    Henry Levinson and other founding members created the National Art Materials Trade Association. The first trade organization dedicated to the advancement of artist materials.
    1955
    Permanent Pigments Company develops the first water-based acrylic gesso called Liquitex ("Liquid Texture").
    1956
    The first commercially available water-based fluid acrylic colors are developed, called Soft Body.
    1963
    The first heavy bodied, water-based acrylic colors, with a consistency similar to oil paints, are developed, called Heavy Body
    1965
    The Lecture Demonstration Program is established: The first program of lectures and demonstrations given by practicing artists, to artists at colleges and universities throughout the U.S.
    1970
    The first machine to test paint for lightfastness is developed.
    1980
    Becomes the first paint to be packaged in Glaminate tubes. These easy to open tubes (laminated layers of plastic, metal and paper) replace all metal tubes, which are prone to corrosion, cracking and other problems.

    The Art Purchase Program developed: A program, which purchases artwork from artists nationwide for the corporate collection.
    1985
    The Liquitex Studio Arts Advisory Council is created. A group of influential artists and art educators from colleges and universities who meet once a year to discuss the needs of art students, professional artists and art educators.
    1993
    The first U.S. fine art, high quality, value series acrylic colors for beginners and students are developed, called Basics.
    1996
    Develops new resin system for all its acrylic colors and mediums. New resin system offers the highest quality acrylic paint and mediums ever made: state of the art color clarity, brilliance, and longevity.
    1997
    Excellence in Art Purchase Award program started: Cash and product awards for artists.
    2003
    The high quality value series, extra opaque and even leveling matte acrylic colors are developed, called BASICS Matt.
    2004
    The first super heavy bodied acrylic colors are developed, called Super Heavy Body.