Norman Rockwell and the Movies

In 2008, Norman Rockwell was named the official state artist of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, but he brought his finely detailed illustration technique far beyond his famed depictions of small-town America. He sometimes tackled Hollywood as a subject.

Currently at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts an exhibit called “Rockwell and the Movies” displays the artist’s work on original paintings, along with posters and lobby cards for films such as “The Magnificent Ambersons”, “The Song of Bernadette”, “The Razor’s Edge”, and the 1960 version “Stagecoach.” The collection includes 25 works on Hollywood subjects.

This exhibition also coincides with one currently shown at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. This collection displays 57 paintings and drawings done by Norman Rockwell on the movie themes, called “Telling Stories: Norman Rockwell from the Collections of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.”

For more on the Norman Rockwell Museum exhibit, including photos of samples of his movie work, have a look at this website. For more on the Smithsonian American Art Museum exhibit, have a look at this website.