Opening Lecture: “In Real Times. Arthur Szyk: Artist and Soldier for Human Rights” - September 28 at 5 p.m.

Join us in the Dolan Event Hall (or virtually) to celebrate the opening of 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.

The coordinator of the exhibition, Philip I. Eliasoph, PhD, Professor of Art History and Visual Culture, Department of Visual and Performing Arts, will present the opening night lecture. He will be introduced by Irvin Ungar, Curator emeritus, The Arthur Szyk Society, who will speak briefly about his three-decade journey to ensure Arthur Szyk's legacy.

We invite you to join the conversation via the following options:

•  In-person in the Event Hall, on the lower level of the Charles F. Dolan School of Business (registration required-very limited seating!)
• Live stream: https://vimeo.com/event/3580818

A reception with light refreshments will follow at 6 p.m. in Bellarmine Hall's Great Hall, and the Bellarmine Hall Galleries will be open 6-8 p.m. The Walsh Gallery will also be open 4-8 p.m.

This event is presented as part of the Edwin L. Wiesel Jr. Lectureships in Art History, funded by the Robert Lehman Foundation.

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 (1894-1951), 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.

Don’t miss Szyk: The Interactive Experience in the Walsh Gallery in the Quick Center for the Arts.

https://www.fairfield.edu/museum/szyk/