New Herblock exhibit opening this month at Library of Congress

Art in Action: Herblock and Fellow Artists Respond to Their Times
Jan. 31, 2019 – Aug. 17, 2019

            A new exhibition, "Art in Action," will explore the tradition of artists as social commentators. Drawings by renowned editorial cartoonist Herblock will be paired with historical and contemporary artists' prints, drawings and posters that respond to major issues from the 17^th century to the current day. As a political cartoonist for The Washington Post and other newspapers, Herbert L. Block, better known as Herblock, devoted his career to creating social commentary through art. Topics that drew his attention provide the exhibition's framework, including civil rights, women's rights, health, war, refugees and the role of media.

            Herblock's cartoons provide a call and response with other socially-engaged artists who expressed their opinions through art. The exhibition includes depictions of Pablo Picasso and works in the global tradition of political art by Jacques Callot, Francisco de Goya, and Leopoldo Méndez – as well as modern and contemporary American artists including Alexander Calder, Enrique Chagoya, Shepard Fairey, Kerry James Marshall, Juan Fuentes, Favianna Rodriguez and Helen Zughaib, among others.