Norman Rockwell and Friends: American Illustrations from the Mort Künstler Collection features masters from the Golden Age of American Illustration: Edwin Austin Abbey, Howard Chandler Christy, Dean Cornwell, Charles Dana Gibson, Winslow Homer, J.C. Leyendecker, Maxfield Parrish, Howard Pyle, Norman Rockwell, and N.C. Wyeth, among others. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, these artists contributed countless illustrations to the journals and books that were avidly read by an increasingly literate American public, assuming a cultural significance equivalent to that of television and digital technology today. Depicting sentimental themes or dramatic adventures, the country’s illustrators envisioned the aspirations of the nation and gave visual expression to the American character.

Norman Rockwell and Friends is sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Charles F. Dolan, the Rapaport Shallat Foundation, The Steven A. Klar Foundation, Frank Lourenso & Gary Stevens – Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, and The Henry Luce Foundation Directors’ Discretionary Grants Program at the request of Thomas L. Pulling.