"Comic strips and comic books were among the most popular and influential forms of mass media in the 20th century. This exhibition examines 15 key American artists who have helped define the form and brought it to the highest level of artistic expression. It features an extensive selection of approximately 900 original drawings, progressive proofs, vintage-printed Sunday pages, and comic books by Winsor McCay ("Little Nemo"), Lyonel Feininger, George Herriman ("Krazy Kat"), E.C. Segar, Frank King, Chester Gould ("Dick Tracy"), Milton Caniff, Charles Schulz, Will Eisner, Jack Kirby, Harvey Kurtzman, R. Crumb, Gary Panter, Chris Ware, and Art Spiegelman. Co-organized by MOCA and the Hammer Museum, the exhibition will be presented at both venues, with comic strips created during the first half of the century on view at the Hammer and comic books created from the 1950s to the present on view at MOCA. The exhibition is co-curated by independent scholar John Carlin and professional cartoonist Brian Walker, coordinated by MOCA Assistant Curator Michael Darling and Hammer Museum Deputy Director of Collections and Senior Curator Cynthia Burlingham, andaccompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue. Masters of American Comics is jointly organized by the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, and The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. The exhibition is made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. 89.9 KCRW is the Official Radio Sponsor for the exhibition. Masters of American Comics is jointly organized by the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles and The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles."

Interview with Exhibition Co-Curator Brian Walker.

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