An Early 20th-century Haggadah

Ben Shahn (1898-1969)

Ben Shahn, an early- to mid-twentieth century artist, established himself as a social realist in the midst of the "modern art" movement. From 1932-1936, he photographed different areas of New York City and unsuspecting passersby. In 1937, he moved to Jersey Homesteads, NJ, a Jewish community where he was commissioned to paint a mural. He painted a Haggadah depicting the struggle of immigrants and their eventual liberation, a modern twist on the usual exodus from Egypt. During World War II, Shahn worked as a designer for the Office of War Information, but his posters were rarely printed because they lacked popular patriotism and hope; they focused on the dark side of war. As a professor of poetry at Harvard University in the 1950s, Shahn distinguished himself as a poet through a publication of his lectures, The Shape of Content. Throughout his career, there were always opportunities for him to conform to a changing art world and stray from his own style, but Shahn stuck to his natural talents to produce a more traditional art. Throughout the sixties, he continued to produce high profile murals and sketches, until his death in 1969.