Norman Rockwell brings American History to Rome through Art

It’s 1930 in America. The Dust Bowl is tearing through the earth; the economy is at a standstill, and the Great Depression is underway. Norman Rockwell, meanwhile, is busy telling the tales of American history through the covers of the The Saturday Evening Post magazine.

Born in New York City in 1894, Norman Rockwell spent over 30 years creating 321 covers The Saturday Evening Post; each one telling a story of the lives of American people. Rockwell’s iconic paintings and illustrations portray American rites of passage in ways that relate to the people whose stories he captures. In famous pieces such as “Family Tree” and “Lincoln for the Defense,” Rockwell’s fresh take on what was happening in America is beautifully apparent.

: Norman Rockwell
The Discovery (La scoperta), 1956
Cover of The Saturday Evening Post, December 29, 1956
Collection of The Norman Rockwell Museum at Stockbridge

The exhibit “American Chronicles: Norman Rockwell Art” at the Fondazione Roma Museo in Palazzo Sciarra includes Rockwell’s 321 original covers from The Saturday Evening Post, as well as over 100 of his portraits. The exhibit provides a unique historical perspective by depicting the raw and unapologetic American youth, and the trials of growing up in the childlike society of a developing America.

Through images such as “Triple Self Portrait,” in which Rockwell depicts himself brilliantly in the past, present and future; “Problems We All Live With,” “Christmas in Bethlehem” and “Murder in Mississippi,” a raw, realistic, and at times hopeful representation of America and humanity can be seen through the eyes of timeless artist Norman Rockwell.

: Norman Rockwell
Triple Self-Portrait, 1960
Cover illustration for The Saturday Evening Post, February 13, 1960
Collection of The Norman Rockwell Museum at Stockbridge, Norman Rockwell Art

: Norman Rockwell
Christmas Homecoming, 1948
Cover of The Saturday Evening Post, December 25, 1948
Collection of The Norman Rockwell Museum at Stockbridge