Fantastic Illustration from the Korshak Collection

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James Avati

Detail from original cover illustration for "Deathworld 2" by Harry Harrison, published by Bantam Books in 1964. James Avati (American, 1912–2005), oil on canvas board, 21 x 17 in., The Korshak Collection, A.1.1.

WHAT TO DO: Imagination illustrated

Reception: Thursday, Nov. 16, Chazen Museum of Art, 5:30-8 pm

Fantastic Illustration from the Korshak Collection is a new exhibit featuring art created for golden age fantasy and science fiction publications, including legendary pulps such as Weird Tales and Amazing Stories. UW professor Ramzi Fawaz will discuss his new book, The New Mutants: Superheroes and the Radical Imagination of American Comics, at 5:30 pm, with an opening reception following.

November 17, 2017–February 4, 2018

Thursday, November 16: 5:30–6:30 p.m.   Lecture and book signing: The New Mutants: Superheroes and the Radical Imagination of American Comics. Ramzi Fawaz, Assistant Professor, Department of English, UW–Madison.

6:30–8 p.m.  Preview reception. Free and open to the public. Live music, refreshments, cash bar.

press release: This exhibition explores the ever-evolving visual landscape of science fiction and fantasy literature with illustrations from the collection of Stephen Korshak. Featuring original artwork by both American and European artists spanning more than a century, these vivid illustrations bring to life adventures, beings, and worlds conjured in novels such as Don Quixote and Tarzan, and pulp magazines including Amazing Stories, Weird Tales, Fantastic Adventures and Wonder Stories. Accomplishing far more than simply guiding readers in their explorations of new and sometimes bizarre realms, the range and impact of these illustrations is far-reaching.

The collector Stephen Korshak literally grew up alongside the genre, as the son of pioneering science fiction publisher Erle Korshak.

“I learned that fantasy art was one subset of the entire field of illustration,” writes Stephen Korshak. “Some illustrators were self-taught, others was classically trained. Some illustrators' works were iconic and defined a whole generation's visualization of certain authors' work and literary characters. I also learned that many scholars in the field of art during the twentieth century made a distinction between what they considered fine art versus illustration.

“Today a reassessment has been taking place among art historians and scholars. Many now consider some illustrators, like Norman Rockwell, Howard Pyle, Maxfield Parrish and N. C. Wyeth, as fine artists as well as illustrators. If you look at many of the works in this collection, I think you will see that such distinctions are arbitrary.”

This exhibition was organized by the Korshak Collection, and is supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Saturday, December 2, 12–3 p.m.   ART•SPIN! Ed Binkley, Instructor, Animation and Concept Development Program, Madison Area Technical College, will be on site with examples of his artwork in addition to videos of his illustration process. Local artist Glenn Watson will lead a series of hands-on activities featuring original science fiction character drawing, robot creation, and more. Free and open to the public, just drop into the Mead Witter Lobby.