Lincoln Center/Philharmonic Hall
Artist
Ben Shahn
United States, 1898 - 1969
Date1962
Dimensions46 x 30 in. (116.8 x 76.2 cm)
ClassificationsPoster
Credit LinePoster House Permanent Collection
Object numberPH.6677
DescriptionReleased on August 20, 1962, this poster announces the opening of the first completed building within the new Lincoln Center complex: the Philharmonic Hall (known today as David Geffen Hall). As an outspoken political artist who was once brought before the House Un-American Activities Committee for being a Communist sympathizer, Shahn was a daring choice to introduce a new institution. The design features an image of an angel playing a Medieval portative organ—a figure that often appeared in Shahn’s work and which fit nicely with the purpose of the Philharmonic Hall. Vera List began privately collecting the work of Ben Shahn in the 1950s, particularly his paintings featuring Jewish themes. This poster also marked the year that Vera became chair of the Jewish Museum’s board of governors, ushering in an era when that institution began collecting the works of many of the same artists who created these posters.On View
Not on view
