Chicago: Where Comics Came to Life (1880-1960)
Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, USA
June 19 to October 3, 2021
Curated by artist and author Chris Ware, and Chicago Cultural Historian Emeritus, Tim Samuelson, this exhibition is designed and planned as an intentional historical companion to the concurrently appearing survey of contemporary Chicago comics at the Museum of Contemporary Art, in which Ware’s work also appears - see below.
A significant but often overlooked contribution to American art and culture is Chicago’s role in the development of the early comic strip. Through its countless newspapers and its publishing industry, Chicago led the transformation of comics from daily fantasy and joke features into ongoing stories grounded in the textures and details of real life, its first real step towards legitimacy as an expressive language and semi-literary art form. The exhibition focuses on the origins of the comics in popular publishing, the immeasurable importance of African-American cartoonists and publishing, the first woman cartoonists and editors, the first daily comic strip, and finally the art and comics of undeservedly forgotten Frank King, who with “Gasoline Alley” captured not only the rhythms and tone of everyday existence in his characters that aged not only at the same daily rate as its newspaper readers, but were also fictionalized versions of real people. More details here...
The Chicago Tribune: "Ware is arguably the most celebrated cartoonist of the past 20 years, an Oak Park resident and New Yorker illustrator whose intricate stories of regret, lonesomeness and childhood nod to architecture, the interconnectedness of everyday existence and the history of comics. Samuelson, who retired at the end of 2020, was longtime official historian of the city of Chicago. When he says he is just a pal, it sounds like a benign dodge, a wish to look more retired than he actually is. When it comes to architect Louis Sullivan, ragtime music and the earliest comic strips - the pair often fanboy as a team."
Chicago Comics: 1960s To Now
Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, USA
June 19 to October 3, 2021
The exhibition is guest-curated by Dan Nadel. Chicago has been a center for comics for decades—a haven not only for making and publishing cartoons, but also for innovating on the medium. Chicago Comics: 1960s to Now tells the story of the art form in the influential city through the work of Chicago’s many cartoonists: known, under-recognized, and up-and-coming. The exhibition traces the evolution of comics in Chicago, as cartoonists ventured beyond the pages of newspapers and into experimental territory including long-form storytelling, countercultural critique, and political activism. Chicago Comics examines styles, schools of thought, and modes of publication across six decades of cartooning, including works from artists who are changing the medium today. The exhibition seeks to bring to the fore artists of color who were previously under-recognized throughout their careers. In this pursuit, the exhibition features archival material previously not seen in museums and offers a revised history of the art form. Represented throughout this timeline are special sections that highlight key artists including Kerry James Marshall, Lynda Barry, and Chris Ware. More details here...
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