Reaction: The Art of Social Commentary

Exhibition Website

Feb 4 2017 - Apr 30 2017

The beginning of the 20th century was marked with war and economic depression, and in response artists began to express their discontent with the social and political environment that surrounded them. From World War I to the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, this exhibition explores how artists have addressed political, social, and civil rights issues through their art. Reaction: The Art of Social Commentary is drawn from the FIA’s permanent collection and features graphic works by Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Elizabeth Catlett, Ben Shahn, George Grosz, Mario Zapata Vasquez, and many more.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website

 Whether or not you go, you may enjoy, Propaganda Prints: A History of Art in the Service of Social and Political Change, including two of the most recognizable images of twentieth-century art: Pablo Picasso’s “Guernica” and the rather modest mass-produced poster by an unassuming illustrator, Lorraine Schneider, “War is Not Healthy for Children and Other Living Things.”  From Picasso’s masterpiece to a humble piece of poster art, artists have used their talents to express dissent and to protest against injustice and immorality. 

Propaganda Prints: A History of Art in the Service of Social and Political Change

  • International
  • 20th Century
  • Political / Satire / Documentary
  • Pablo Picasso
  • Andy Warhol
  • Elizabeth Catlett
  • Ben Shahn
  • George Grosz
  • Mario Zapata Vasquez
  • and others

Exhibition Venues & Dates