Timeline from 1930 to 1970: acrylic resins are made in industry in the 1930s, Magna solvent acrylic appears in the late 1940s, water-based acrylic emulsion in the mid-1950s, and a thicker tube version in 1963 is widely taken up.

History · Two Paints

Plastic Paint

Acrylic paint comes from the same plastics family as Plexiglas, first made by industry, not for artists.

Paint makers adapted it twice: a solvent paint, then a water-based one.

  • Early ads pushed quick drying and flexibility; mixing with water came near the end.
  • By 1965 most companies making artists' paint had a water-based acrylic of their own.
  • For David Hockney it ended the wait: in oil he worked on two or three pictures while each dried; in acrylic, one at a time.

Image: Made for this site · Original work

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