Artist Soldiers: Artistic Expression in the First World War
About The Event
The grinding, mechanized nature of World War I, the first global war that involved millions of infantry combatants, has tended to render these soldiers in popular culture as faceless masses rather than individual participants with their own unique stories. In an effort surface the individual of WWI, Artist Soldiers: Artistic Expression in the First World War features 54 artworks produced by the AEF artist program, the first true combat artists, with 29 art photographs of stone carvings created by soldiers in underground living spaces adjacent to the trenches. These spaces were abandoned stone quarries that soldiers on all sides used, a largely unknown aspect of the war, even by WWI specialists. A selection of related artifacts is included to support the content of the art. The AEF artwork has not been extensively displayed since the 1920s. Images of the soldiers’ stone carvings have never been shown in a major museum exhibition.
For more information, please visit: airandspace.si.edu
Contact : Peter Jakab: jakabp@si.edu
Category: Performances & Creative Exhibition
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