Ben Shahn (1898-1969) was a Lithuanian born, American social realist artist and educator. Through his paintings, murals, prints, photographs, and illustrations, he told the stories of civil rights activists, political protestors, and ordinary people facing injustice.
Read the biographical picture book for youth, then learn more at the websites:
THE PEOPLE’S PAINTER: HOW BEN SHAHN FOUGHT FOR JUSTICE WITH ART written by Cynthia Levinson and illustrated by Evan Turk tells the true story of a boy who escaped injustice and spent his life sharing the stories of others who faced persecution. Notes, a timeline, and resources are useful in learning more about this artist.
The Archives of American Art contains collections, oral histories, and digital reproductions of the work of BEN SHAHAN.
To visit this collection, go to https://s.si.edu/34ytHjt
BEN SHAHN: PASSION FOR JUSTICE is an award-winning PBS documentary telling the story of this socially engaged artist. Told through interviews and examples of his work, excerpts from this documentary would be useful in helping students understand the continued relevance of this artist.
To watch the video, go to https://youtu.be/LFYwcq0veXc
ARC courtesy of Abrams Books for Young Readers.
