Save the Date: Rockwell in Caen

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 26 March 2019 > Pedagogy


To commemorate the 75th anniversary the D-Day landings, the Mémorial de Caen is hosting a touring exhibition dedicated to Norman Rockwell's depictions of President Roosevelt's vision of a post-war future.

Franklin D. Roosevelt first formulated the "Four Freedoms" in 1941 for his State of the Union speech: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Fear and Freedom from Want. They would ultimately become the foundation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, which the President wouldn't live to see. His wife, Eleanor, was one of the main architects of the Declaration.

But first, Roosevelt needed to get public support for his proposals, and that would come from the somewhat unexpected quarter of Norman Rockwell, the popular illustrator who produced many cover illustrations for The Saturday Post. His four covers, one for each freedom, published in 1943, became instant hits.

The exhibition coming to Caen was curated by the Norman Rockwell Museum. It features the four iconic paintings, as well as information on Roosevelt and other socially-engaged paintings like the one above, The Problem We All Live With, 1963. (Illustration for Look 14 January 1964. Norman Rockwell Museum Collection.) It is included in the second part of the exhibition, Norman Rockwell and the Civil Rights Movement. The first part covers his art during WWII.

You can read more about Rockwell, Roosevelt and the Four Freedoms here. And we'll be providing teaching resources nearer the date, but if you would like to take classes to visit the exhibition, the reservation information is below.

Rockwell & Roosevelt, The Four Freedoms
4 June-27 October 2019
Mémorial de Caen

For class reservations, contact :
02 31 06 06 45 or e-mail