Immortal Words
Ben Shahn, American (born Russia, now Lithuania), 1898 - 1969
1958
Screenprint on wove paper
Overall: 20 1/4 × 16 3/4 in. (51.5 × 42.5 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Bequest of Jay R. Wolf, Class of 1951
Art © Estate of Ben Shahn / Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY
PR.976.223
Geography
Place Made: United States, North America
Period
20th century
Object Name
Research Area
Not on view
Inscriptions
Signed, in red paint, lower right: Ben Shahn; printed: IF IT HAD NOT BEEN FOR THESE THING,/I MIGHT HAVE LIVE OUT MY LIFE TALK-/ING AT STREET CORNERS TO SCORN-/ING MEN. I MIGHT HAVE DIE, UN-/MARKED, UNKNOWN A FAILURE. NOW/WE ARE NOT A FAILURE. THIS IS OUR/CAREER AND OUR TRIUMPH. NEVER IN/OUR FULL LIFE COULD WE HOPE TO/DO SUCH WORK FOR TOLERANCE, FOR/JOOSTICE, FOR MAN'S ONDERSTANDING/OF MAN AS NOW WE DO BY ACCIDENT./OUR WORDS - OUR LIVES - OUR PAINS/NOTHING! THE TAKING OF OUR LIVES-/LIVES OF A GOOD SHOEMAKER AND A/POOR FISH PEDDLER-ALL! THAT LAST/MOMENT BELONGS TO US-THAT/AGONY IS OUR TRIUMPH.
Exhibition History
A Space for Dialogue 24, Say Word., Callie Helen Thompson, Class of 2005, Student programming Intern, Main Lobby, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, February 15-April 3, 2005.
A Space for Dialogue 37, Lines of Text, Jonathan Beilin, Class of 2007, Mellon Special Project Intern, Main Lobby, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, March 20-May 6, 2007.
Provenance
Julius (Jay) Rosenthal Wolf (1929-1976), Class of 1951, New York, New York; given to present collection, 1976.
Catalogue Raisonne
K. McNulty, The Collected Prints of Ben Shahn, Philadelphia, 1967, no. 42A.
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