Art

One of the most iconic American Second World War posters and one of the enduring images of 20th-century American art, part of Norman Rockwell's Four Freedoms series. Rockwell produced four oil paintings in 1943, each referring to one of the freedoms Roosevelt outlined in his 1941 State of the Union address: Freedom of Speech, of Worship, from Want, and from Fear. Each presented an idealized vision of part of American life - here, an earnest and resolute citizen addressing a town meeting. Representing an America worth fighting for, the paintings were seized upon by the US government and reproduced as posters promoting the sale of war bonds. The posters were widely exhibited throughout the nation. The original paintings went on tour, "during which over 1.2 million people viewed them and $132 million worth of war bonds were sold. Four million posters were printed during the war; with subsequent publications, The Four Freedoms are among the most reproduced works of all time. The New Yorker reported in 1945 that The Four Freedoms 'were received by the public with more enthusiasm, perhaps, than any other paintings in the history of American art'" (Hennessey & Anne Knutson, p. 102). Offset lithograph, 71 x 51 cm. Light creases as originally folded, one tiny split at highest fold intersection. In very good condition.