A week ago on this program, we spoke to art critic Deborah Solomon about her new biography of iconic artist, Norman Rockwell, American Mirror: The Life and Art of Norman Rockwell. The book is a 493-page account of the life and work of the longtime illustrator for The Saturday Evening Post.
Since the release of the book and recording of our interview with Solomon, the family of Norman Rockwell has come out saying they are angered by the book and shocked at the suggestions that Rockwell could have been secretly gay or had pedophilic impulses.
A statement issued by the Norman Rockwell Family Agency says – "Ms. Solomon's conclusions demand scrutiny. The Family now feels that her purpose in befriending us and writing this fictionalized account was publicity, financial gain and self-aggrandizement.”
Thomas Rockwell is Norman Rockwell’s second son and an author. Perhaps best known for his young adult classic, How to Eat Fried Worms He joins us along with his daughter, Norman Rockwell’s granddaughter, Abigail Rockwell.