“Our time needs you and your work.”
- ALBERT EINSTEIN, from a letter to Si Lewen, 1951
News + Media
“Si Lewen: curated by Art Spiegelman” James Cohan Gallery- 3/23/24 to 4/27/24
James Cohan is pleased to present Si Lewen, curated by Art Spiegelman, on view at the gallery’s 52 Walker Street location from March 23 through April 27, 2024. This exhibition marks the first time that the full suite of The Parade has been shown in New York, following an exhibition at the Menil Collection in Houston in 2023. This strikingly modern and profoundly resonant work is presented at James Cohan alongside important works from Lewen’s oeuvre dating from the early 1950s to the mid-2000s, the majority of which have not been seen for four decades. (James Cohan Gallery- 52 Walker St. New York, NY.10013)
Mini-documentary
A presentation highlighting the life and accomplishments of renowned artist Si Lewen. This was created by his grandson, artist Damon Kardon. Highlights include: Immigration to the US from Nazi-occupied Germany, Fighting in WWII with elite unit "The Richie Boys", the liberation of Buchenwald, successful art gallery shows in NYC, The Art of the Holocaust, published "The Parade" and "The Journey", Albert Einstein's fan letter, The Si Lewen Museum, The Si Lewen Foundation, and the two-generation collaboration between grandfather and grandson. Original music featured by Damon Kardon.
Art Spiegelman on “Si Lewen’s Parade: An Artist’s Odyssey” at the 2016 Miami Book Fair
FROM THE PUBLISHER: Si Lewen’s Parade is a timeless story told in a language that knows no country—a wordless epic that, despite its muteness, is more powerful than the written or the spoken word. First published in 1957, The Parade is a lost classic, newly discovered, remastered, and presented by Art Spiegelman, the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Maus. Reproduced in a unique two-sided accordion-fold format with an extensive overview of the artist’s career on the verso, The Parade is a celebration of art and the story of recurring war as Si Lewen experienced it over the past 90 years, watching the joyful parades that marked the end of World War I lead into the death marches of World War II and the Korean War. As The Parade unfolds, the reader is taken on an unforgettable journey of sequential images.
They’ll never know …
WWII veteran and Buchenwald Concentration Camp liberator, artist Si Lewen talks about how people who have never been in battle cannot know what war is really like.
Si Lewen: “The Parade” at the MahJ in Paris
Interview with Art Spiegelman on "The Parade" by Si Lewen, conducted for the exhibition "Si Lewen, Parade", presented at the mahJ from November 3, 2021 to May 8, 2022.
GI JEWS: Jewish Americans in WWII
GI JEWS: Jewish Americans in World War II had its national broadcast premiere on PBS on April 11, 2018 (check local listings for additional showings). The film is available for home use from Shop PBS. For educational/AV use, the film is available from Shop PBS Teacher Shop.
GI JEWS: Jewish Americans in World War II tells the profound and unique story of the 550,000 Jewish men and women who served in World War II. Through the eyes of the servicemen and women, the film brings to life the little-known story of Jews in World War II – as active participants in the fight against Hitler, bigotry, and intolerance.
Si appears in the film and is interviewed about his experiences during WWII along with other well-known Jews who served such as Mel Brooks, Henry Kissenger, and Carl Reiner.
The Parade: A Story in 55 Drawings
A short film produced by the International Institute for Restorative Practices A saga of never-ending war by an artist who saw the armistice parades of WWI morph into the death marches of WWII. "First published in 1957 and long out of print, I am pleased to see The Parade reprinted and distributed by the International Institute for Restorative Practices. I have donated all of my remaining artwork and the rights to all of my books and writings to this new graduate school. The IIRP is dedicated to 'restoring community in a disconnected world,' a purpose that is consistent with the themes of my own life's work. I trust that the IIRP will make an important contribution toward making the world a better place." -Si Lewen, 2006
In Conversation: Art Spiegelman on Si Lewen and Graphic Novels- 2023
Art Spiegelman (b. 1948), who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1992 for his masterful Holocaust narrative, "Maus," discusses Si Lewen’s art and the history of graphic novels with Rebecca Rabinow, Director of the Menil Collection.
A Sigh and a Salute
By Art Spiegelman
Si’s friend, colleague, and Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Maus, Art Spiegelman wrote a celebration of Si and his work in the August 2016 issue of Harper’s Magazine.
Si on Channel 39’s Tempo
An interview about the opening of the Si Lewen Museum at the International Institute for Restorative Practices.
Si Lewen interview from PBS’ History Detectives
History Detective Gwen Wright speaks with Si Lewen, a 92-year old veteran of Camp Ritchie. He was trained at a mobile radio broadcasting unit, and talks about his war experience.
Aired: 09/18/11
Rating: NR
Si Lewen: “The Parade" at The Menil Drawing Institute- 2023
"Si Lewen: The Parade" presents an epic series of sixty-three original drawings by Polish-born artist Si Lewen. Without a single written word, "The Parade" speaks to cycles of war, the seductive glory and pomp, followed by soldier enlistment, community deprivation, devastating destruction, death, and heartbreak. When the war ends, the cycle repeats. "Si Lewen: The Parade" is curated by Kelly Montana, Assistant Curator, Menil Drawing Institute.
