The Father of the Graphic Novel: Will Eisner’s Legacy Celebrated in New York Exhibition
A Milestone in Sequential Art
Will Eisner is known as the father of the graphic novel for his 1978 publication A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories. This milestone in sequential art was deeply personal, written just a few years after Will lost his young daughter to leukemia, and it was instrumental in shaping the medium.
A Career-Spanning Exhibition
Now, the Philippe Labaune Gallery in New York City is hosting a career-spanning exhibition of the legendary comic artist’s work, featuring pieces from every stage of the artist’s career from 1941 to 2002. We’ve been given an exclusive glimpse (see our pick of the best drawing tablets if you want to take your own art digital).
A Contract with God: A Touching Exploration of Tensions
The exhibition will allow viewers to compare Will Eisner’s original pencil drawings for A Contract with God against the finished versions. The story involves the tensions between the tenants and their superintendent in a tenement in the Bronx. The exhibition includes pencil drawings that featured in the A Contract with God Curator’s Collection, showing Eisner’s passion for the comic form and profound empathy.
A Legacy in the Making
Eisner’s comic book career began when his cartoons were featured in Wow Magazine in 1936. The pioneering artist and writer went on to create the fan-favourite hero The Spirit. He was also a teacher and advocate for comic books as an art form. Believing in comics’ ability to communicate complex ideas through both words and images, he became a central figure in the movement to elevate them as legitimate literary and artistic endeavours.
The Will Eisner Exhibit
Organized in collaboration with Denis Kitchen and the Eisner estate, this month’s exhibition at the Philippe Labaune Gallery pays tribute to Will Eisner’s artistic vision and contributions to the medium, exploring the creativity and innovation behind his work. In addition to war-time drawings, there are pages from The Spirit, New York The Big City comic strips, and an almost complete sequential presentation of A Contract With God: The Super.
Conclusion
Will Eisner’s A Contract with God holds a monumental place in the history of comics, marking the first graphic novel and challenging the boundaries of the medium. Its cultural impact is profound, as it brought a level of literary sophistication and emotional depth to comics that had never been seen before.
FAQs
Q: What is A Contract with God?
A: A Contract with God is a graphic novel published in 1978, marking the first graphic novel and challenging the boundaries of the medium.
Q: Who is Will Eisner?
A: Will Eisner is the father of the graphic novel, known for his work on The Spirit, New York The Big City, and A Contract with God.
Q: Where can I see the Will Eisner Exhibit?
A: The Philippe Labaune Gallery is located at 534 West 24th Street in New York and is open from Thursday to Saturday, from 10am to 6pm. The Will Eisner Exhibit will be open to the public from 13 February to 8 March. There will be an opening reception on February 13 from 6pm to 9pm.
