New Exhibit ‘Against the Grain: The Remarkable Life of Artist Bernard Perlin’ Coming to Jewish Museum Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE (Sept. 16, 2024) – A new exhibit Against the Grain: The Remarkable Life of Artist Bernard Perlin, celebrating and bringing deserved visibility to an artist who lived passionately and unapologetically against the grain, will be on view Sept. 27 through Jan. 26, 2025 at the Jewish Museum Milwaukee. Originally curated by JMM, Against the Grain showcases art from Bernard Perlin’s estate and private collections. Included in the survey of Perlin’s wide ranging work are never-before-seen photographs taken in 1938 Poland, and sketches for OWI propaganda posters.

Bernard Perlin was a minority, outsider, gay man, and pursuer of truth, beauty, and justice. Born to Russian Jewish immigrants in 1918 Virginia, artist-activist Perlin was a talented painter, illustratorand war artist-correspondent who tackled stylistic genres, the horrors of WWII, issues of social justice, and homosexuality with conviction and bravery.

Perlin’s life, in his own words, was “a direct path to making art and seeking human connection.” He ran in circles that included celebrities like Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, Gore Vidal, Leonard Bernstein, Liz Smith, Grace Hartigan, David Hockney, and Jerome Robbins. His first commission was created for the legendary movie actor Vincent Price.

Throughout his long, richly varied, well-traveled career, Perlin moved from Social Realism to Magical Realism and worked with the WPA (Works Progress Administration), OWI (Office of War Information), and Life and Fortune magazines among countless others. His art has been collected by major institutions including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, Art Institute of Chicago, Pritzker Military Museum & Library, and the Tate.

This exhibit celebrates and brings deserved visibility to an artist who lived passionately and unapologetically against the grain. Through Perlin’s multi-faceted identity lens, it explores the diverse worlds he navigated and touches on historical experiences of persecution and discrimination against minority groups, reflecting  similar attitudes that are still prevalent today.

An opening preview will be held Sept. 26 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. featuring a talk by Perlin estate curator, Michael Schreiber. Additional programming related to Against the Grain: The Remarkable Life of Artist Bernard Perlin will be held throughout the duration of the exhibit. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.