As part of the festivities for the 75th anniversary of D-Day, Caen goes all out for a great European premiere. As part of "Rockwell, Roosevelt & The Four Freedoms", 50 works by the famous American painter Norman Rockwell will be part of the Memorial

A large-scale cultural cooperation

The memorial has been preparing its coup for three years. Franco-American cooperation is a strong symbol to accompany the commemorations of the Battle of Normandy. Though the region suffered and experienced unprecedented loss of heritage and human resources, the allies also paid a high price for these historic days. Memory and remembrance are also celebrated in art, in the sharing of a heritage very dear to Americans.

A very special delivery

They arrived in sealed trucks, freshly landed from Washington on May 13th. Routed in secret by a company specialized in the transportation of works of art, they are under guard of American police and experts. They must validate the strict conditions of transport and especially check the drastic safety standards for these wonders. The Memorial has created an area of 1,400 square meters (15,000 sq. ft.) to exhibit these XXL works and meet international standards: hygrometry, temperature and brightness is 300,000 euros of work and considerable insurance. It's a highly touchy situation, and the Memorial is risking its reputation: "The Four Freedoms" have never left their country before!

Norman Rockwell participated in the war effort

On June 6, 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt delivered one of the most important speeches of the 20th century. His speech describing four freedoms inspired the artist in 1942 for his eponymous series that will enable raising $130 million to support the war effort. When the GIs landed, it was in the name of the four freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear.

The Memorial, the bastion of the festivities

An unprecedented exhibition orchestrated in two stages; the first part is devoted to the illustrator's commitment to the war effort and ends with a series of works painted at the end of the conflict and the return of the soldiers to their families. A second part is articulated around the artist's humanist commitment and his questioning of American society and the hope for peace in the Middle East.

Reservations have been available since December 6, 2018! To contain the influx, access will be controlled and limited to 140 people in the exhibition space. In addition to guided tours and permanent exhibitions, the Memorial also casts a gaze toward Europe with its new visual and sound experience, 19 minutes in 360° immersion. Half of the visitors to the Memorial are under 20 years old. With this youth to instruct and guide, pedagogy and the awakening of consciousness is the key words of this place of memory.

Related reading:

- The city of Caen pulls out all the stops for D-Day

- You were born on D-Day in Normandy? Your testimony is precious

- The Ouest-France newspaper mobilizes for D-Day with its series "War in the eyes of the Normans"

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