On display September 1, 2022 – May 7, 2023 in The Joe W. and Dorothy D. Brown Foundation Special Exhibit Gallery
A special exhibit examining the work of artist, illustrator, and political cartoonist Arthur Szyk will be on display at The National WWII Museum starting September 1, 2022. In Real Times. Arthur Szyk: Art & Human Rights will showcase more than 50 of Szyk’s original works, which focus on humanitarian issues that faced the world in the early 20th century—including issues that remain relevant today.
Born into a middle-class Jewish family in turn-of-the-century Poland, Szyk led a life shaped by two world wars and dominated by the collapse of democracies and rise of totalitarianism in Europe. Szyk was a refugee who settled in the United States in 1940. As an artist, he became renowned for his caricatures and political cartoons, throughout which he displayed a broad concern for human rights. The artist fearlessly ridiculed dictators, exposed Nazi genocide, supported the Polish resistance, and criticized the Ku Klux Klan and civil rights violations in America. Many of his works appeared on the covers of America’s most popular magazines during World War II. Throughout his artwork, he paired his commentary on human rights issues with motifs drawn from religion, history, politics, and culture.
In Real Times. Arthur Szyk: Art & Human Rights is curated by Francesco Spagnolo, Curator, University of California, Berkeley, The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life. The acquisition of the Taube Family Arthur Szyk Collection (2017) and research for this exhibition were made possible by a generous gift from Taube Philanthropies. The collection includes 450 artworks as well as books, newspapers, magazines, and other publications that featured his art. Original works from the collection will be displayed in the exhibit, which will be organized into six thematic sections focused on various aspects of human rights: Human Rights and Their Collapse, The Rights of Global Refugees, The Right to Resist, The Rights of Nationhood, The Right to Expose: Executioners at Work, and The Right to America. Szyk’s artwork stands as a reminder of the atrocities the world faced in the early 20th century, and it also speaks to current humanitarian crises. The issues Szyk addressed through his art remain relevant today.
The full collection has been digitized, and visitors will have the opportunity to explore Szyk’s miniatures in high resolution on a monitor within the exhibit. At an interactive workstation, they will be encouraged to create new cartoons by repurposing elements of the pieces within the collection and instantly publish them online—in real time.
In Real Times. Arthur Szyk: Art & Human Rights will be on display in the Joe W. and Dorothy D. Brown Foundation Special Exhibit Gallery in Louisiana Memorial Pavilion through May 7, 2023. The special exhibition is presented in New Orleans by Taube Philanthropies, with additional support from George Marcus and the Isermann Foundation.
Museum Campus
Explore The Campus
Museum Campus Guide-
Louisiana Memorial Pavilion
The Louisiana Memorial Pavilion exhibits take visitors into the monumental efforts on the Home Front and to the beaches of Normandy—focusing on the thousands of men and women who made Allied victory in World War II possible.
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Campaigns of Courage
In a war where the terrain was as deadly as the enemy, this pavilion tells the story of American servicemembers abroad—and how they overcame unprecedented challenges on multiple fronts to win victory in World War II. In over 19,000 square feet of exhibit space, two extraordinary exhibitions bring visitors inside the epic story of the war in its most infamous settings, bringing to life jungles, beaches, mountains, and oceans in 19 immersive galleries.
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Solomon Victory Theater
The Solomon Victory Theater is home to Beyond All Boundaries, a 4D cinematic experience produced exclusively for The National WWII Museum by Tom Hanks—who narrates the film—and Phil Hettema.
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Hall of Democracy
The Hall of Democracy represents the center of the Museum’s expanding educational outreach initiatives—providing a space that will enable the institution to share its collections, oral histories, research, and expertise with audiences across the world.
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US Freedom Pavilion
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The Higgins Hotel & Conference Center
The official Hotel of The National WWII Museum, this stunning art-deco style property offers first-class accommodations, meeting spaces, and dining options providing a sophisticated lodging experience for guests.
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John E. Kushner Restoration Pavilion
Now open, the John E. Kushner Restoration Pavilion offers up-close looks at WWII macro-artifacts, including the Museum’s patrol torpedo boat, PT-305, which returned to her permanent home on campus in 2022. Museum visitors can observe the fully restored vessel from the Lester and Beverly Wainer PT-305 Viewing Terrace and learn of her wartime crew and tours of duty. The Pavilion also houses the STEM Innovation Gallery, an educational space that gives visitors the opportunity to engage in tactile learning and exploration.
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Founders Plaza
Founders Plaza creates an impressive entryway to the Museum campus, safe passage for Museum guests, and a pleasant setting for rest and reflection as part of the visitor experience.
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Bollinger Canopy of Peace
The soaring Bollinger Canopy of Peace, set to stand 150 feet tall, will unify the Museum's diverse campus and establish the Museum as a fixture on the New Orleans skyline.
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Liberation Pavilion
Three building levels will explore the closing months of the war and immediate postwar years, concluding with an explanation of links to our lives today.
