The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 26, 2024

Workers' Meeting

Workers' Meeting

1935
(American, 1900–1972)
Platemark: 21.4 x 17.5 cm (8 7/16 x 6 7/8 in.); Sheet: 36.6 x 26.9 cm (14 7/16 x 10 9/16 in.)
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Hungarian-born Jolán Gross-Bettelheim lived and worked in Cleveland from 1925 to 1956.

Description

This tense political print was made as the Communist Party gained a foothold in America’s cities among the underemployed and working class during the Depression. One of the men holds the Daily Worker, a Communist newspaper, while “Shall Not Die / The Scottsboro Boys” is scratched above the cramped and angry crowd. The words refer to the trial and conviction of nine Black teenagers in Alabama for allegedly raping two white women; their appeals were sponsored by the Communist Party. Jolán Gross-Bettelheim herself was a vocal party member.
  • Jolán Gross-Bettelheim Entry Card to 1935 May Show. Cleveland Museum of Art May Show Records, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org
    Robinson, William H., et. al. Transformations in Cleveland Art, 1796-1946: Community and Diversity in Early Modern America. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1996. Reproduced and Mentioned: p. 142
    Stamey, Emilyand Faulconer Gallery. Jolán Gross-Bettelheim : The American Prints : Print and Drawing Study Room of the Faulconer Gallery, Grinnell College, April 27-May 21, 2001. Grinnell, IA: Gallery, 2001. exh. cat. p. 35, fig. 7
    Channing, Laurence, "Before Neo: The May Show", Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine. Vol. 45 no. 07, September 2005 Mentioned & reproduced: p. 6 archive.org
  • Ashcan School Prints and the American City, 1900-1940. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 18-December 26, 2021).
    Jolan Gross-Bettelheim. Faulconer Gallery, Print & Drawing Study Room - Burling Library, Grinnel, IA (April 25-May 21, 2001).
    Transformations in Cleveland Art, 1796-1946. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 19-July 21, 1996).
    Cleveland Art Comes of Age: 1919-1940. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 28-September 10, 1989).
    Prints Accessioned in 1935. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 14-November 8, 1936).
    The May Show: 17th Annual Exhibition of Works by Cleveland Artists and Craftsmen. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (April 24-June 2, 1935).
  • {{cite web|title=Workers' Meeting|url=false|author=Jolán Gross-Bettelheim|year=1935|access-date=26 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1935.140