Oct 21, 2020

Die gute alte Zeit ("The Good Old Days")

Die gute alte Zeit ("The Good Old Days")

1969

R. B. Kitaj

(American, 1932–2007)

Screenprint and collage

Gift of the Artist 1984.146

Catalogue raisonné: Kinsman 35ii

Location

Description

Born in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, R. B. Kitaj designed this 1969 screenprint for a series about London during the Blitz, a prolonged German bombing campaign on British cities in 1940–41 during the Second World War. He juxtaposed old newspaper clippings, ephemera, and vintage wallpaper to evoke a nostalgic response to British solidarity in the face of the enemy. The collaged wallpaper, featuring designs from the war period, suggests both homes lost and cultural survival. A campaign poster for Adolf Hitler alongside another advertisement reading “Die gute alte Zeit,” or “The good old time,” remind viewers of the foe, but also call into question a cheery perception of the past.

See also
Collection: 
PR - Screenprint
Department: 
Prints
Type of artwork: 
Print
Credit line: 
Gift of the Artist

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