The Jewish Historical Museum is organising an exhibition of comic
strips and graphic novels by Jewish artists from 7 March until 8
June 2008. The exhibition Superheroes and Schlemiels shows
us the fascinating world of heroes and anti-heroes by artists
including Will Eisner, Joe Kubert, Ben Katchor and Rutu Modan. Each
character typifies a unique view of the 'Jewish past' and also a
highly personal sense of humour.
Everyone knows Superman, the comic-strip hero created by
Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel and launched in 1938. In this
exhibition the 'man of steel' is joined by a motley assortment of
comic-strip figures from 1910 to the present day. Original
drawings, printed matter and film material show how forty leading
comic-strip artists from the United States, Europe and Israel have
developed their vision of history.
The first comic strips from the period 1910 to 1940 appeared in
Yiddish and English-language newspapers. They make clear the
ordeals faced by Jewish immigrants in their attempt to integrate
within American society. In the following period, around 1940, we
see the emergence of the phenomenon of the American superhero in
comic strips. The integration of Jews was by now well under way and
various comic-strip writers focussed on the creation of superheroes
with a national character.
An important part of the exhibition is devoted to the work of Will
Eisner. With A Contract with God, Eisner was the first
artist to translate his memories of Jewish history into a graphic
novel. He was concerned primarily with the culture and way of life
of Jewish immigrants in American society.
The Holocaust plays an important role in the work of those Jewish
comic-strip authors who became well known after Will Eisner.
Maus by Art Spiegelman is now a model for graphic novels
dealing with this subject. Bernice Eisenstein and Miriam Katin, for
example, have incorporated recollections of the Holocaust in their
cartoons as well as ideas about the generation gap and
misunderstandings between survivors and their children. The
exhibition also contains modern European comics that deal with
Jewish culture and history, such as The Rabbi's Cat by Joann Sfar.
The exhibition is a co-production by the JHM and the Musée d'art et
d'histoire du Judaïsme in Paris.
For more information and/or images please contact the
Communications Department:
T: +31 (0)20 531 0370 F: +31 (0)20 531 0311 E: Communications
Department
The JHM is open daily from 11.00 to 17.00