Henry Levinson established a small family company in 1933, named
Permanent Pigments Company. He initially only made artist oil
colors. In 1955, Permanent Pigments invented the first water-
based acrylic gesso. Levinson tried to think of a name that
aptly described this new invention, a medium that could go from
fluidity to heavy texture. He decided on the name Liquid
Texture, or Liquitex. Mr. Levinson’s idea soon took off, and in
1956, the first commercially available fluid acrylic colors,
known as Soft Body paints, were developed. The first heavy
bodied, water-based acrylic colors, called Heavy Body, followed
in 1963. Liquitex has a long history of creativity, but
creativity doesn’t always begin in a laboratory. With this in
mind, the company created a Lecture Demonstration Program that
still continues to this day. In 1965, it was the first program
of lectures and demonstrations given by practicing artists to
students at colleges and universities throughout the United
States. This program is known today as th