The Arts in New York City

Have you ever seen sections of the funny papers in museums? I can’t say I have, well cartoonist Art Spiegelman once again has an opportunity to do so. The article I have read tells of how a collection of his art is now being shown on display at the Jewish Museum. Also of Spiegelman’s long career of drawing, publishing and editing. His work is intertwined with the emotions and lessons he has learned in his life. Now everyone has the opportunity to mull over his work in great detail.

This is not the first time Spiegelman has had his work on display. In 1991 he had a solo at the Museum of Art. The showing exhibition contained only one work, Spiegelman’s book length pictorial narrative “Maus”. This graphic novel depicts an interview Spiegelman has with his father about experiences as a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor. These factual accounts paint Polish Jews as mice and Germans as cats. It is a very interesting spin to a very serious and horrible event. In 1992 it was the first graphic novel to win a Pulitzer Prize.

Spiegelman has produced about a half centuries worth of art. In the show you it is clear the he has never stuck to one type of style. Each section on display emphasizes a different visual and mental theme. Even from an early age Spiegelman showed skill in comics. He was born in Sweden in 1948, to two World War II Holocaust survivors. He grew up in Queens, New York and drew his first comic strip the “Loonies” when he was 12 years old. He sold his first drawing to a newspaper at age 17.

In his professional career Spiegelman worked with MAD magazine and ZAP Comix. In his early work he drew much of his style and inspiration from artists such as Harvey Kurtzman, R. Crumb, and Basil Wolverton. One aspect that is found continuously in Spiegelman’s work is his use of autobiographical content. One example of this can be seen in his strip “Prisoner on the Hell Planet,” where he recounts of his awful experiences while hospitalized for a mental breakdown, after his mother committed suicide. This strip contains a more harsh and intense style, which Spiegelman used once and then moved on.

Spiegelman then became less bold he worked on “he took on steady bread-and-butter jobs.” He began designing trading card and stickers for chewing gum. It was not until 1980 he started RAW magazine, which mad comics into an avant-garde art form. He invited artists such as Gary Panter, Sue Coe and Chris Ware whose works were shown in galleries. It was in RAW magazine that Spiegelman first published “Maus” one chapter at a time. Then exhausted Spiegelman began designing children’s books, but was shocked back into comics after witnessing the 2001 World Trade Center attack at close range.

Art Spiegelman’s comic prowess is once again on display for all to see. You can appreciate the time and effort of the pieces because the display showcases first drafts and original manuscripts. Emily Casden, a curatorial assistant, at the Jewish Museum has taken the time to really celebrate an amazing artist.

I would like to know how you feel about comic art and whether it can be perceived as art worth putting in museums like paintings and photographs.

Cotter, Holland “A Master’s Bubbles and Panels, in Depth.” New York Times 16 November 2013: C1. Print.