It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
After ending its print run in 2019, a beloved humor magazine gets the last laugh with a major exhibit this summer.
Norman Rockwell Museum is poised to open a major summer exhibition exploring the art, satire, and cultural impact of MAD Magazine, one of the longest-running humor publications in America. A counter-cultural touchstone and a venue for some of the nation’s best satirical art and writing, MAD rapidly evolved from a comic book series into a smash-hit magazine that spoke truth to power for seven decades.
Opening June 8 and running through October 27, What, Me Worry? The Art and Humor of MAD Magazine presents iconic original illustrations and cartoons from MAD’s longtime regular contributors, dubbed the “Usual Gang of Idiots,” as well as next-generation visual satirists who found a home within the magazine’s zany zeitgeist.
“MAD was a groundbreaking magazine that influenced generations of readers and set the bar, and the tone, for contemporary humor and satire. We are delighted to present original selections from the magazine’s brilliant, irreverent artwork that captured and lampooned nearly all aspects of American life, and we are grateful to the collectors and artists who have made originals available for this exciting installation,” said Norman Rockwell Museum Chief Curator Stephanie Haboush Plunkett.
“Spy vs Spy,” a regular strip inside MAD Magazine
“MAD was much more than a magazine to my generation. It represented a portal to adulthood.”
A Norman Rockwell parody by Richard WIlliams
Titled for the defiantly nonchalant mantra of Alfred E. Neuman, MAD’s mascot and cover boy, “What, Me Worry? The Art and Humor of MAD Magazine” brings together original artwork, artifacts and memorabilia, photos, published ephemera, video content, interactive features, and more to tell the culturally-riveting story of the magazine’s history and influence. A selection of over 250 original illustrations and cartoons will be on display.
The exhibition is co-curated by acclaimed illustrator and art journalist Steve Brodner and Chief Curator Plunkett, in collaboration with an eleven-member advisory group including several MAD “alums” and led by former MAD art director Sam Viviano. The exhibition is made possible in part by sponsorship from the Halperin Foundation.
“MAD was much more than a magazine to my generation. It represented a portal to adulthood,” reflected Brodner, widely considered among today’s foremost satirical illustrators and caricaturists. “MAD was a heat-seeking missile designed to blow open the hypocritical core of most things. In so doing, it engendered in readers an ability to come closer to what might today be called ‘critical thinking.’”
Brodner continued, “This exhibition distills that time in print when MAD stood alone in publishing: smart, snappy, current, and bravely idiotic. Its mission connected with us every issue. MAD gradually changed the world, one kid at a time.”
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CONTRIBUTED BY NORMAN ROCKWELL MUSEUM. MAD AND ALL RELATED ELEMENTS™ & © E.C. PUBLICATIONS. COURTESY OF DC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. USED WITH PERMISSION.
To learn more about this summer’s MADdest exhibition and purchase tickets, visit NRM.org/visit.