A new exhibition has opened at the Special Collections Research Center Exhibition Gallery in the Regenstein Library.
On the centenary of the Great War’s commencement, En Guerre: French Illustrators and World War I explores the conflict through French graphic illustration of the period. The exhibition presents themes essential to a deeper understanding of the war in France: patriotism, propaganda, the soldier’s experience, as well as the mobilization of the home front as seen through fashion, humor, and children’s literature.
Organized by Professor Neil Harris and Dr. Teri J. Edelstein for the Special Collections Research Center of the University of Chicago Library, the exhibition features more than one hundred and thirty examples of the colorful work of French illustrators. En Guerre reaffirms the persuasive role that art can play in servicing or challenging political and military power.
A website accompanies the exhibit and a catalog is available for purchase through the University of Chicago Press.