Dubbed the social-surrealist, Bay Area artist Irving Norman’s monumental paintings and drawings catalyzed for change against violence, social inequality, and abuses of power throughout the 1950s to the 1980s. The Polish immigrant came to the US through Ellis Island in 1923 but returned to Europe to fight in the Spanish Civil War. Upon his return, he enrolled at the San Francisco Art Institute to study figurative art. During this era of American Expressionism, developed in the conservative atmosphere following World War II, Norman famously said: “Let all politicians…keep their bloody hands and scheming minds out of the field of art.” Goes until May 9, 2027.
Friday, Nov 13, 6pm, Free
San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose
