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BEN SHAHN (1898-1969)
212
●
BREAK REACTION’S GRIP / REGISTER - VOTE. Circa 1946.
41
1
/
2
x29 inches, 105
1
/
2
x73
3
/
4
cm. L.I.P. & B.A., New York.
Condition A: minor creases along unobtrusive vertical and horizontal folds.
In the years after World War II, Shahn takes on a new threat: reactionaries. “The one arm, dressed in
coat sleeve and shirt cuff, with hand clasping a colorful map of the United States, represents the
country’s supposedly small, but powerful, reactionary forces. The poster suggests that however strong,
their power could be broken by the greater strength of the progressive forces, as represented by the
larger, sleeveless arm” (Prescott p. 131). Prescott 154, Word & Image 91, Modern Poster 198,
American Style p. 111.
[2,000/3,000]