The Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, MA is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this summer and for the occasion there is a special Anniversary exhibition, “Private Moments for the Masses,” which offers a behind-the-scenes look at the autobiographical aspects of Rockwell’s art through beloved imagery that conveyed, in both subtle and direct ways, his own interests, anxieties, and real-life experiences.
An astute visual storyteller and a masterful painter with a distinct, personal message to convey, Norman Rockwell created fictional realities that offered a compelling picture of the life that many Americans aspired to. His carefully-constructed artworks for the covers and pages of popular publications engaged an appreciative audience for decades; but few would have imagined all that his art revealed about the inner workings of his personal and professional life.
Laurie Norton Moffatt is the Director and CEO of The Norman Rockwell Museum.