"Deportation to Death" 1942 Linocut

Leopoldo Méndez Mexican, 1902 - 1969

The Black Book of Nazi Terror in Europe was an antifascist collaboration between Europeans in exile and Latin American and American writers and artists. Published in 1943, the book comprises testimonies, statistics, photographs, and illustrations and is one of the first detailed accounts of Nazi atrocities.

Several of the book's illustrations, including Leopoldo Méndez's Deportation to Death, were also published as standalone prints. This harrowing image is one of the earliest depictions in print relating to the Nazi death camps. The train stretches far into the distance, giving a visual sense of the unspeakable magnitude of the Holocaust.

Part of the "Boom: Art and Design in the 1940s" Special Exhibit

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The creepy town of Beldam 🌱| 4B00-00DF-FBB2 | @mayormak

"Portrait of James Baldwin" Oil on canvas, 1945 Beauford Delaney American (active Paris), 1901 - 1979

Beauford Delaney was lifelong friends with author and activist James Baldwin, another key queer figure of the Harlem Renaissance, with whom he had a close father-son-like bond. An early depiction of Baldwin, who was about 21 at the time, this lively painting emphasizes his youth and dynamism. Rendered with energetic brush strokes, bold lines, and vibrant colors, the closely cropped image shows Baldwin with wide, alert eyes that stare out into the potentials of the future. The lighter red background surrounding the figure's head creates an aura that enhances Baldwin's powerful presence.

Part of the "Boom: Art and Design in the 1940s" Special Exhibit

"Campagna" Printed Textile 1947 Cotton

Angelo Testa American, 1921 - 1984

Angelo Testa studied in Chicago at the New Bauhaus (later known as the Institute of Design and Illinois Institute of Technology) with artist László Moholy-Nagy (who had taught at the original Bauhaus school in Germany) and architect George Fred Keck. In 1947 he founded Angelo Testa & Co., a textile company, and among his first commissions was this hand-printed cotton furnishing fabric, Campagna, for Knoll. The pattern is said to represent an aerial view of farm fields, the name is a nod to the interior architect Paul Campagna, a friend of Testa's and of Hans and Florence Knoll.

Part of the "Boom: Art and Design in the 1940s" Special Exhibit

"Seated Woman" Around 1940 Oil and charcoal on Masonite

Willem de Kooning American (born Netherlands), 1904 - 1997

Seated Woman is an early work from Willem de Kooning's long sequence of paintings of women. The portrait served as a vehicle for de Kooning to explore his ongoing interest in fragmented, dis-torted, and amalgamated figurative subjects. The layered contour lines around the body suggests the model shifting poses rather than sitting still.

Conveying an even greater sense of motion, Noon aligns with the gestural Abstract Expressionism developing in New York in the 1940s. The white and gray paint smeared up and around the right side of the canvas is evidence of the artist's hand expressively moving upon the surface.

Part of the "Boom: Art and Design in the 1940s" Special Exhibit

"Home Front" Around 1942 - 43 Lithograph

Jolán Gross Bettelheim American (born Hungary), 1900 - 1972

Part of the "Boom: Art and Design in the 1940s" Special Exhibit

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The golden town of Faerydae 🍂| 5F00-0011-59C4 | @helloxcutiee

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The mysterious town of Merville 🌹 | 4C00-0024-7D59 | @espeon-krossing

Really beautiful. I loved the theme. It’s funny because i’m trying really hard to do a town like this one myself and now i’m sad because this town is so so so well-done. A lot of details, the colors together are perfect. I loved the atmosphere, I really felt like I was in a big mysterious forest full of fairies and witches, a bit like in Outlander. So really beautiful and congrats on your beautiful town. ♡