The Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts is exploring the art and satire of MAD magazine in the exhibit, What, Me Worry? The Art and Humor of MAD Magazine.
Over 150 pieces of original art are displayed, including paintings, drawings, cartoons, ephemera, artifacts, and other media, and one gallery is focused solely on the work of Mort Drucker, who spent more than five decades drawing caricatures and illustrations for MAD.
Artists whose work will be showcased includes Drucker, Sergio Aragonés, David Berg, Paul Coker, Jack Davis, Dick DeBartolo, Will Elder, John Ficarra, Kelly Freas, Al Jaffee, Harvey Kurtzman, Don Martin, Nick Meglin, Norman Mingo, Antonio Prohías, Marie Severin, John Severin, Angelo Torres, Sam Viviano, Richard Williams, and Wally Wood. The art of next generation visual humorists, including Emily Flake, Drew Friedman, Peter Kuper, Teresa Burns Parkhurst, C.F. Payne, Tom Richmond, and Dale Stephanos is also displayed.
“This exhibition explores the unforgettable art and satire of MAD, from its beginnings in 1952 as a popular humour comic book to its emergence as a beloved magazine that spoke truth to power and attracted generations of devoted readers through the decades,” the museum outlines.
“MAD’s influence and cultural impact will be explored in this landmark installation, which features iconic original illustrations and cartoons created by the magazine’s Usual Gang of Idiots – the many artists and writers who have been the publication’s mainstays for decades.”
The exhibition is co-curated by Steve Brodner and Stephanie Haboush Plunkett, with Sam Viviano as lead advisor and is being offered to other galleries for exhibition. (For more information contact travelingexhibitions@nrm.org).
• What, Me Worry? The Art and Humor of MAD Magazine runs until 27th October 2024 at The Norman Rockwell Museum, 9 Glendale Road Route 183 in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Tickets available now | Web: nrm.org
MAD and all related elements ™ & © E.C. Publications. Courtesy of DC
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
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