Norman Rockwell Museum

On view through November 15, 2009

Women & Madness, Barbara Nessim. 1972. ©1972 Barbara Nessim. All rights reserved. Book jacket illustration for Women & Madness by Phyllis Chesler. From the permanent collection of Norman Rockwell Museum. Gift of Barbara Nessim.

Internationally-renowned illustrator, educator, and past member of the Norman Rockwell Museum Board of Trustees, Barbara Nessim was recently named the first recipient of the Museum’s Artist Laureate Award in honor of her dedication, support, and outstanding professional accomplishments.

A vital contributor and influential visionary in the world of art, Nessim has always been original in her thinking and unprecedented in her creativity. Recognized for her fresh approach to image-making, Nessim was among the few female freelance illustrators of her time. In 1980, she embraced innovation and began using the computer to create published and personal imagery. Never short of inspiration, she attributes the ongoing creativity in her work to her fine training as an artist, and relies almost solely upon her sketchbooks to generate new ideas.

This exhibition features a vibrant collection of original illustrations created by the artist for such clients as The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and Levi’s. Included in the installation is the 1972 book jacket illustration Women & Madness, generously donated by the artist to the collection of Norman Rockwell Museum.

Continue Reading

Peter Rockwell Carving Grendels Folly Photo 1994

July 11, 2009 through October 25, 2009

As a young man, Peter Rockwell had no interest in pursuing a career as an artist, and intentionally avoided the arts because they were “too much in the family.” A student of English literature at Haverford College, he eventually enrolled in a sculpture class at the prompting of his mother, Mary Rockwell, and “fell head-over-heels in love with it.”

Today a noted sculptor and art historian, Peter Rockwell is the youngest son of legendary American illustrator, Norman Rockwell. His vibrant, animated works, inspired by circus acrobats, animals in motion, gargoyles, and monsters are featured in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery, The Bridgeport Museum of American Art, and the Norman Rockwell Museum, which holds the largest compilation of his art. A leading scholar of the history of stone carving, he has documented his knowledge in The Art of Stoneworking, his highly-regarded reference guide. An outstanding collection of the artist’s bronze, marble, and limestone sculptures will be on view on our pastoral landscape in celebration of the Norman Rockwell Museum’s fortieth anniversary.

Continue Reading

Norman Rockwell working on Golden Rule in his studio, Stockbridge, Massachusetts, 1960. © Licensed by Norman Rockwell Licensing Company, Niles, IL.

Currently on View

During his career, Norman Rockwell occupied approximately twenty studios, and each of them was arranged in a similar manner. Unlike the stereotypical disheveled artist’s studio, Rockwell’s were always neat and organized. His creativity and prolific production seemed to depend on a physical environment of tidy organization.

In celebration of the Norman Rockwell Museum’s 40th anniversary, this refreshed installation of the workspace that Rockwell considered his “best studio yet” invites viewers to enter into a day in his profoundly busy work life, and to ponder the aesthetic and practical concerns that informed the artist’s imagery and experience.

Continue Reading

John Singer Sargent in his Studio

February 7, 2009 through June 7, 2009

Artists in Their Studios offers a unique glimpse at the lives and studio spaces of more than seventy-five important American artists from the late nineteenth century to today. Rarely seen photographs and primary source materials including letters, artists’ handwritten notes, and personal effects from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art are featured in this compelling exhibition, which offers an intimate perspective on artists at work, at home and abroad. Photographs of Alexander Calder, William Merritt Chase, Chuck Close, Ellsworth Kelly, Willem de Kooning, Richard Diebenkorn, Arthur Wesley Dow, Marcel Duchamp, Helen Frankenthaler, Al Held, Reginald Marsh, Louise Nevelson, Jackson Pollock, Robert Rauschenberg, Ad Reinhardt, Mark Rothko, John Singer Sargent, John Sloane, David Smith, Andy Warhol, N.C. Wyeth and others will be on view.

Continue Reading

November 8, 2008 through January 25, 2009

When America entered World War I, it was clear that engagement in the conflict would require sustained effort of a magnitude and intensity that had previously been unimagined. Ready troops, supplies, and sacrifice on the home front were necessities, and the resolve of American citizens was essential—a powerful message brought home to the public through the visual arts.

During World War I, illustrated posters inspiring public support served as a primary mechanism of mass communication. Persuasive visual symbols designed to rally Americans to the cause, they employed bold graphics, strong imagery, and concise commands to inspire a sense of nationalism and pride. Posters roused people to support their troops, fund international aid projects, and buy bonds to finance the war effort. Imbued with iconic United States symbols like the Statue of Liberty, Uncle Sam, and the American flag, posters were installed in libraries, post offices, and schools in urban and rural communities as prominent reminders of the need for support.

Eager to contribute their talents, artists who were not enlisted in the armed forces designed posters and billboards and offered public painting demonstrations to inspire the purchase of war bonds. Chaired by celebrated illustrator Charles Dana Gibson, the Committee on Public Information’s Division of Pictorial Publicity met regularly to connect artists with projects. The dynamic imagery that resulted, created by an impressive roster of illustrators including J.C. Leyendecker, James Montgomery Flagg, Howard Chandler Christy, and Jessie Willcox Smith among others, offers compelling perspectives on the American experience during this dramatic time in our nation’s history.

Continue Reading

February 15 through November 16, 2008

Many of Norman Rockwell’s illustrations for periodicals, advertising campaigns, and other publications, were created to show the engagement of Americans in the process of electing a president. From 1952 to 1960, Rockwell’s portraits of the major presidential candidates – including Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy – graced the covers of The Saturday Evening Post. In 1964, after his association with the Post ended, he began working for Look, where he continued to generate portraits of the presidential candidates. These included such notables as Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, and Ronald Reagan.

This collections-based exhibition features Norman Rockwell’s portraits of the candidates from 1952 to 1968, which bring us back to an America that witnessed the war in Vietnam, political assassinations, and one of the most complex elections in the nation’s history. Rockwell’s relationship with the candidates, and subsequently with the presidency, will be explored through correspondence and photographs from his personal papers, as well as his Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Continue Reading

June 7 through October 26, 2008

In the finest tradition of Thomas Nast and the time-honored art of political satire, this special exhibition anticipates our nation’s upcoming presidential elections with stunning visual reflections our nation’s most prominent contemporary leaders and their legacies.

An award-winning draftsman, commentator, and humorist, Steve Brodner has created illustrations, cartoons, and reportage for nearly every major American periodical, including Esquire, The New York Times, New York, Mother Jones, The Nation, National Lampoon, Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, The Washington Post, and The Village Voice. Today’s most prominent practitioner of this influential art form, this cutting-edge opinion-maker offers vibrant visual perspectives that defy approximation in words.

View Steve Brodner’s Blog

Continue Reading

July 4 through October 19, 2008

Garden gates are the quintessential element of an ideal garden and provide symbolic entry into a world of color and aesthetic beauty. This resplendent outdoor exhibition celebrates the wonders of both art and nature, and artist designs will complement the idyllic grounds of Norman Rockwell Museum during the summer season. This lively exhibition will offer new perspectives on a timeless component of the pastoral and suburban landscape.

Continue Reading