“Faster than a Speeding Bullet: the Art of the Superhero” Exhibition in Oregon

Image Gallery Logo for the "Faster than a Speeding Bullet: The Art of the Superhero" exhibition at the University of Oregon.   Click image to view fullsize   Image 1 of 1

EUGENE, Ore. -- (July 10, 2009) – Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and other superheroes are coming to life in a new art exhibition opening this fall.

Newswise — The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at the University of Oregon will display the special exhibition, “Faster Than a Speeding Bullet: The Art of the Superhero,” featuring rare works by some of the most admired artists in the history of superhero comics and graphic novels.

According to Ben Saunders, guest curator and UO English professor, the exhibition breaks new ground in its evaluation of the art and cultural importance of the comic book genre.

“This exhibition constitutes what is perhaps the first serious attempt to gather major works by some of the most prominent artists in the superhero genre, from the 1940s to present,” said Saunders.

The exhibition will include a rare copy of “Action Comics #1,” published in 1938 and featuring the first appearance of Superman. The issue included in the exhibition, on loan from Darrell Grimes, a private collector and owner of Nostalgia Comics in Eugene, Ore., is considered to be one of the best preserved. Fewer than 100 copies of the original print run of 100,000 are known to exist today.

Also featured in the exhibition are “Superman #1,” the first issue of the character’s own comic book from 1939 and “Famous Funnies #1,” one of the first nationally distributed comic books in 1934, consisting of reprinted newspaper strips.

In addition to its aesthetic focus on artist renditions, the exhibition examines the complex relationship between popular power fantasies and the forces of social change in subsections on the female superhero and superheroes of color.

“The first superhero creators were often the children of recent immigrants from Eastern Europe and Italy and, perhaps unconsciously, they articulated their own dreams and aspirations for a better life in the United States in these superhuman fantasies,” said Saunders.

The exhibition features more than 150 pages of superhero comic art from the 1940s to the present, including several complete stories and key works by many major creators in the industry, including Neal Adams, Steve Ditko, Will Eisner, Gil Kane, Jack Kirby and Frank Miller and many others.

The exhibition consists primarily of “original art” — the large-sized pen-and-ink pages from which comic books are printed. It also includes painted cover images and three original works, commissioned by the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, for the exhibition by artists Mike Allred, Ramona Fradon and Stuart Sayger. The commissioned pieces showcase a variety of comic book and graphic novel characters including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Spiderman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Ironman, and a black and white ink drawing of the Justice League.

“Faster Than a Speeding Bullet: The Art of the Superhero” will be on view from Sept. 26 to Jan. 3. The exhibition will open with a free preview reception Friday, Sept. 25, from 6 to 9 p.m.

About the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art
The University of Oregon's Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is a premier Pacific Northwest visual arts center for exhibitions and collections of historic and contemporary art based in a major university setting. The JSMA features significant collections galleries devoted to art from China, Japan, Korea, America and elsewhere as well as changing exhibition galleries. The JSMA is one of six museums in Oregon accredited by the American Association of Museums.

The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is located on the University of Oregon campus at 1430 Johnson Lane, Eugene, Ore. For information, contact the JSMA, 541-346-3027.

About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of the 62 leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.

Link: Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, http://jsma.uoregon.edu