The Skirball Cultural Center to Open Jack Kirby Exhibition in May

The Skirball Cultural Center has announced the worldwide debut of a retrospective exhibition celebrating iconic comic book creator Jack Kirby (1917-1994). Jack Kirby: Heroes and Humanity showcases works from his extraordinary six-decade career. The exhibition opens to the public on Thursday, May 1, 2025, and will be on view through March 1, 2026.

Jack Kirby created some of the best-known characters in the history of American comics including Captain America, The Fantastic Four, The Avengers, OMAC, X-Men, The Black Panther, Mister Miracle, The Incredible Hulk, The New Gods, and many more. Along the way, he anticipated America's entry into World War II by depicting his heroes fighting Nazis, championed diversity, expanded the emotional and intellectual horizons of the comic book medium, and helped establish the visual vocabulary of popular culture.

Jack Kirby: Heroes and Humanity traces Kirby’s experiences as a first-generation American born to immigrant parents in Manhattan’s storied Lower East Side, a soldier who fought on the beaches of Normandy, a successful commercial artist who worked in marginalized creative industries, a mentor to a generation of younger comic creators, a resident of New York and Los Angeles, and a proud family man whose Jewish faith remained important throughout his life.

The exhibition and its related educational programs at the Skirball Cultural Center are made possible by presenting donor Brandon Beck, Riot Games co-founder and a comic collector who drew inspiration from comic artists in his work creating video games. He was instrumental in bringing this exhibition to the Skirball. Additional support was provided by Stephanie and Harold Bronson, Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary, and Marvel Studios. Media sponsorship is provided by The Hollywood Reporter.

From early drawings of The Incredible Hulk, The Black Panther and Thor to a Kirby-inspired interactive installation, Jack Kirby: Heroes and Humanity features over 150 objects, many on view for the first time, including rare comic books, original illustrations, fine artworks, and ephemera that illustrate his life, inspirations and vast body of work.

Jack Kirby: Heroes and Humanity is a journey through the artist’s incredible life and work, from his own origin story to his enduring influence. Kirby remains a pivotal figure in American popular culture, and his effect in the worlds of comics, film, animation, graphic design, and pop art lives on more than thirty years after his passing.

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