How did a newly landed Polish Jewish artist transform his brush and ink pen into powerful anti-Nazi propaganda weapons in the months before Pearl Harbor? Through scathing editorial cartoons and anti-fascist satires, Szyk came to be recognized by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt as a true “soldier in art.” Philip I. Eliasoph, PhD, Professor of Art History and Visual Culture, Department of Visual and Performing Arts, offers an overview of "In Real Times. Arthur Szyk: Artist and Soldier for Human Rights," the acclaimed exhibition traveling on loan from The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art & Life at the University of California at Berkeley.

Please note: This event is an off-campus, in-person only event and will take place in the Fairfield Museum and History Center (370 Beach Road, Fairfield, CT 06824).

This event is in conjunction with the exhibition "In Real Times. Arthur Szyk: Artist and Soldier for Human Rights," on view in the Bellarmine Hall Galleries from September 29-December 16, 2023.
Don’t miss "Szyk: The Interactive Experience" in the Walsh Gallery in the Quick Center for the Arts.

About the exhibition:
This special exhibition, organized around the theme of human rights features more than 50 works by acclaimed Polish Jewish miniaturist and political cartoonist Arthur Szyk (1899-1951), including political cartoons, and images that honor the power and importance of democratic ideals. A witness to the rise of totalitarianism in Europe, Szyk emigrated from London to America at the beginning of World War II. He lived and worked in Connecticut, and passed away in New Canaan in 1951. His powerful political cartoons animated the covers of magazines such as Time and Collier's, raising awareness of the plight of European Jews and helping sway public opinion toward support for American participation in the Second World War. As a self-described “soldier in art,” Szyk’s work was acclaimed by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt as a potent weapon “against Hitlerism.” He advocated for religious tolerance, racial equality, and human dignity. Active in the years leading up to World War II and during the Holocaust, Szyk became one of America’s most celebrated political artists for his powerful artistic and social contributions against Nazism and fascism. As our communities continue to confront issues of structural racism and social upheaval — including the sharp rise in antisemitic rhetoric and violence across the United States— this exhibition provides a platform for conversations on the urgent topics of human rights and social justice.
https://www.fairfield.edu/museum/szyk/

Image: Arthur Szyk, "The Haggadah, Dedication to King George VI (detail)," 1936.