Tom Lea: Art and War in the 20th Century

5:00 p.m. Reception  |  6:00 p.m. Program  |  7:00 p.m. Book Signing

Tom Lea was a muralist, illustrator, war correspondent, portraitist, landscapist, novelist, and historian. During World War II, LIFE magazine sent artists, including Lea, to every front to record in paint all aspects of war, from preparations on the Home Front to battles abroad. Melissa Renn, PhD, author of the essay "From Life: Tom Lea and the World War II Art of LIFE Magazine" in the special exhibit’s companion book, will speak about Lea's work as an artist-correspondent for LIFE during the war, and will look at the motivations behind the magazine's wartime art commissions as well as the circulation and reception of the works in the United States and beyond. The program will also feature Adair Margo, founder and president of the Tom Lea Institute, who will share Lea's genius as both painter and writer before, during, and after the war. The special exhibit's companion book, Tom Lea, LIFE Magazine, and World War II, will be available for purchase.

For more information call 504-528-1944 x 229.

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Sponsored by The Woldenberg Foundation
Additional support provided by: The Brown Foundation, Inc., of Houston
James III, Judy, and Jamey Clement
Special thanks to Adair Margo, the Tom Lea Institute, and the US Army Center of Military History