The Met Presents Si Lewen’s Complete 63-Drawing Cycle 'The Parade' for the First Time Since 2024 Acquisition
On October 1, 2026, The Metropolitan Museum of Art will unveil 'There Are No Words: Si Lewen’s Parade,' which will be displayed in Gallery 690 at The Met Fifth Avenue until January 5, 2027. This exhibition showcases the entire cycle of 63 drawings, making its public debut since being acquired in 2024. Created around 1950, these works encapsulate Lewen’s journey as a refugee, a U.S. Army soldier, and a witness to the Holocaust. The drawings, crafted with charcoal, pencil, crayon, ink, and gesso, are approximately 13⅞ by 19¾ inches in size. Curator Maria Castro notes the transformation of the artwork from minimalism to chaotic scenes. Lewen was born in Lublin, Poland, in 1918 and escaped Germany in 1933 before serving in WWII.
Key facts
- Exhibition dates: October 1, 2026 – January 5, 2027, in Gallery 690 at The Met Fifth Avenue.
- The Met acquired the complete 63-drawing cycle in 2024; this is the first public exhibition of the full work at the museum.
- Si Lewen created 'The Parade' around 1950, drawing on his experiences as a refugee, U.S. Army soldier, and witness to the Holocaust’s aftermath.
- The drawings employ charcoal, pencil, crayon, ink, scratching, and hand-applied gesso on paperboard, each about 13⅞ by 19¾ inches.
- The work was first published as a book in 1957 with 55 reproductions; The Met also holds a copy of that book.
- Previous presentations include the Menil Drawing Institute in Houston (2023) and James Cohan in New York (2024).
- Lewen was born in Lublin, Poland, in 1918, fled Nazi persecution in 1933, served in the U.S. Army as one of the Ritchie Boys, and was at Buchenwald in 1945 after its liberation.
- The Met’s acquisition precedes the opening of its new Tang Wing for Modern and Contemporary Art, scheduled for 2030.
Entities
Artists
- Si Lewen
- Frans Masereel
- Maria Castro
- Albert Einstein
- Lotte Jacobi
- Joseph McCarthy
Institutions
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- The Met Fifth Avenue
- Menil Drawing Institute
- James Cohan
- U.S. Army
- Ritchie Boys
- New York Art Life
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Buchenwald concentration camp
- International Institute for Restorative Practices
- PRINT Magazine
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Lublin
- Poland
- Germany
- Normandy
- Buchenwald
- Houston
- France
- Ukraine