Norman Lewis

Frank Perls, Beverly Hills

Private Collection, Los Angeles (probably acquired from the above)

Thence by descent to the present owner

Rich in texture and detail, this mixed media work by Norman Lewis rewards close inspection. Embedded in the dynamic watercolor rendering of a New York City street scene are fragments of contemporaneous newspapers, magazines and other cultural artifacts that place the work very immediately in its context.

Dated 29 October 1940, News Boy was executed a little more than a year after the start of World War II and a little more than a year before the United States’ involvement in the war. The news clippings suggest instability and uncertainty, featuring headlines such as “War or Peace?”; however, they also include references to securities and to horse racing, reminders that commerce and culture continue even amidst political upheaval. A nuanced and quotidian depiction of this pivotal moment in history, News Boy represents a microcosm of American society.