When: closing August 18, 2019
Prior to the 1960s, American art had become detached from modern life and politics. The Vietnam War forced artists to confront what was going on, and their collective response was one of anger. This retrospective of the artistic response to Vietnam is a large display of very angry art.
As we all know, Vietnam was the first televised war, and it brought the horrors of armed conflict into American's living rooms. I was reminded of a show I'd seen a while back on Civil War photography. That also brought the war "home" to civilians, and made it much harder for them to pretend that war is a noble endeavor - it's a (literal) bloody mess.
The artists protesting the war were a diverse group: women and persons of color, particularly African American and Hispanic artists who focused on the disproportionate burden borne by their communities, spoke out through their art. I noticed Yayoi Kusama's photographs of anti-war happenings - without the mirror rooms, you don't need to wait in line to see them.
The piece that stuck with me the most was Edward Kienholz's "The Non-War Memorial." He took surplus army uniforms and filled them with clay. They are laid out on the floor, like fallen soldiers. It's not a flashy piece; there's no blood or guts, but you are confronted with the reality of death.
Verdict: This is not an enjoyable or pleasant trip to the art gallery. But then, the Vietnam War was neither enjoyable nor pleasant for those who fought.
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