Dark Metropolis: Irving Norman’s Social Surrealism

In 1950, San Francisco’s M.H. de Young Memorial Museum removed a painting from an exhibition for obscenity for the first time in its history - the painting was Big City by Irving Norman. Norman’s work has always inspired controversy and criticism and indeed continues to do so. His vast canvasses abound with dystopian visions, from the horrors of warfare to the ravages of industrialization, and his unexpected use of colour make his works utterly compelling. ( Jaw-droppingly effective social indictments that would have been endorsed by Orwell and Huxley. - Art in America ). Dark Metropolis , a book of compelling vision, showcases Norman’s jewel-tone colours, transcendent messages, and the technical virtuosity that make his work unique in the history of American Art.