“Politics Not As Usual, The Art and Politics of Geoffrey Moss”
October 15 through The Election
Reception for the Artist, Saturday, October 15, 4-6pm
This contentious election season is like no other in memory. Media pundits are in a feeding frenzy, never at a loss for words, unlike political satirist, Geoffrey Moss, whose conceptual images are a word-free exhibit.
Recognized as a pioneer, Moss was the first to be nationally syndicated with sans caption political “cartoons”. Of his provocative graphics he says, ”I want my readers relying on their intellect, unencumbered by traditional distracting captions and speak bubbles. I want readers to be as emotionally speechless as I when confronted with the body politic. I then draw. We are now a visually dependent society who must draw conclusions from my metaphors, then react.”
Early on in his career, Moss was an art restorer at The Metropolitan Museum while also free-lancing for the New York Time’s Op-ed pages. At the beginning of the of Watergate investigation he contacted the Washington Post whose editors were aware of his graphics, however until then no captionless art had ever appeared on their editorial pages.
Though not encouraging, Stan Hinden, Op-ed page editor suggested Moss present “a few concepts” in D.C. Moss presented over 25 sketches, specifically created for The Post, ideas anticipating events rather than based on any editorials requiring illustrations. Shortly after, his drawings began being published in the Washington Post, documenting all things political. Moss’s early days at the Post were eventually celebrated in that paper’s special Nixon Resignation Issue; some printed as full-page works. His Watergate series drawings received a Pulitzer nomination followed by a book of his work The Art and Politics of Geoffrey Moss, and a contract as a founding member and the first “cartoonist” signed with The Washington Post Writers Group, a relationship lasting 23 years. Currently, Creators Syndicate in LA represents MOSSPRINTS, and has nominated him again for a Pulitzer for his 9/11 works.
Moss’s political works have been exhibited world wide including the Pompidou, The Kennedy Center, The National Press Club, The Newseum, and The Smithsonian Institution. He has also been an essayist on NPR and a panelist at the National Holocaust Museum. In addition, Moss has taught conceptual thinking at Parsons/The New School and The Pratt Institute.
Commissions include a conceptual drawing of Norman Rockwell’s studio for the celebration of Rockwell’s 100th Birthday, and for the occasion of Martin Luther King’s same, a painting, “Bus with White Walls”, which travelled to seven major museums including The Smithsonian.
Says Moss of his work, “Fortunately, I get to throw stones as well as paint them.”
