Peter Saul's "Crime and Punishment" on display at the New Museum

The New Museum is home to the large Peter Saul exhibition entitled Peter Saul: Crime and Punishment, surveying over 60 works across the artist’s career, that draw from pop art and surrealist inspirations.

The “real-life shock and horror of current events” is the characteristic feeling Peter’s images possess. His ability to shed light on serious socio-political issues by portraying infamous criminals, archetypes of cowboys, businessmen, and presidents, comes from blending surrealist aesthetics, history painting, and vernacular illustration.

During the 60s, Saul created some of his most shocking paintings in response to the horrors of the Vietnam War, capturing the war’s brutality, racism, and destruction by incorporating text, popular characters, and consumer products in an attempt to challenge American history.

Check out some of the pieces below. Peter Saul: Crime and Punishment is on display until May 31.