An exhibition of Norman Rockwell’s Boy Scout paintings and magazine covers opens this weekend at the LDS Church History Museum in Salt Lake City.
Norman Rockwell was on the staff of Boys Life, the Scouting magazine, long before he became famous as the cover artist for The Saturday Evening Post. The exhibit at the church museum on West Temple includes 26 Rockwell paintings and many more Boys Life magazine covers on loan from the Boy Scouts museum in Irving, Texas.
Angela Fisher, an educator with the church museum, dismissed critics who say Rockwell painted a rosy view of American life that never really existed.
“Certainly, there’s some criticism that he was only painting half of the picture. However, he saw the glass as half-full, which is something we can all learn from.”
There’s also a companion exhibit that chronicles the church’s 100-year association with the Boy Scouts of America. Admission to the museum is free.
