Episode No. 719 of The Modern Art Notes Podcast features curator Laura Katzman.
Katzman is the curator of “Ben Shahn, On Nonconformity” at the Jewish Museum, New York. Shahn’s first US retrospective in nearly 50 years. The exhibition examines Shahn’s progressive commitment to the major issues between the Great Depression and the Vietnam War, as well as his exploration of spirituality and Jewish texts. The exhibition features 175 paintings, mural studies, prints, photographs and more, spotlighting Shahn’s skill and vision across media. The exhibition debuted at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid, and was adapted by the Jewish Museum. It’s on view through October 26. A catalogue was published by Princeton University Press. Amazon and Bookshop offer it for $32-42.
The exhibition catalogue may also be viewed via Issuu.
Air date: August 14, 2025.
Ben Shahn, Integration, Supreme Court, 1963.
Ben Shahn, The Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti, 1931-32.
Ben Shahn, Seurat’s Lunch, 1944-54.
Ben Shahn, Tom Mooney Handcuffed, 1932-33.
Ben Shahn, Organize… Steel Workers Organizing Committee, 1930s.
Ben Shahn, Bricklayers, on the cover of Fortune magazine, January 1951.
Ben Shahn, This is Nazi Brutality, 1942.
Ben Shahn, New York, 1947.
Ben Shahn, Striking Miners, Scotts Run, West Virginia, 1935.
Ben Shahn, Scotts Run, West Virginia, 1937.
Ben Shahn, Sam Nichols, Tenant Farmer, Boone County, Arkansas, 1935.
Ben Shahn, 1943 AD, ca. 1943.
Ben Shahn, Man, 1946.
Ben Shahn, Flowering Brushes, 1968.
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