A Letter from John Greco, Master Printer and Founder of 
Josephine Press/Christopher John Gallery

For 42 years, I’ve run Josephine Press in Santa Monica. I’m writing with difficult news: after four decades serving artists on the Westside, the studio must close its doors due to an Ellis Act eviction, and I will be retiring this coming fall. I am looking for an individual, foundation, or other entity to purchase by summer 2026 the entire shop—all presses, supporting equipment, and supplies - to launch their own studio.

When I moved to Los Angeles in 1983, there wasn’t a single public printmaking facility for artists on the Westside. So I built one. Since 1984, Josephine Press has been a place where anyone—student or established artist—could learn the craft, use professional equipment, and make prints. John Cage, Francisco Toledo and Raymond Pettibon had their made prints here. So did hundreds of established and emerging artists who discovered printmaking for the first time under this roof. The community that grew around this studio is rare, and it’s still thriving.

But now, the building’s owners have invoked the Ellis Act, forcing us to leave. Despite every effort, I’ve run out of options to keep the studio in Santa Monica. Without a successor or a new home, the presses will fall silent—and Los Angeles will lose its last public full-service printmaking studio on the Westside, along with four decades of shared craft, knowledge, collaboration, art collection and exhibitions.

That’s why I’m urgently looking for the right person or organization to take the reins. I’m offering a fully equipped, professionally fitted print studio: American French etching and combination presses for relief, intaglio, lithography, and monoprint work—and all supporting equipment worth five figures to replace. Photos of equipment and facilities available upon request.

I can remain available for a limited time as a consultant to help with the transition, offering guidance, introductions, and continuity support.

The print collection from the Christopher John Gallery remains separate, but everything that makes Josephine Press a living, breathing studio—the tools, the equipment, the knowledge, the mission, and the community—is ready to be passed on.

Starting something like this from scratch would take years and a small fortune. But the foundation already exists. It simply needs someone who understands what this place means to the artists who’ve worked here, the students who found printmaking here, and the community that has depended on it.

The situation is urgent. The Ellis Act eviction means the window to act is brief. If you are that organization, person—or you know who might be—I need to hear from you promptly.

Yours,
John Greco