New York Public Library
5th Ave at 42nd St
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Illustration by Clara Tice from Candide, or All for the Best by Voltaire. New York: Bennett Libraries, 1927. NYPL, General Research Division. Reproduced with permission of the Clara Tice family.
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Oct 23, 2009 – Apr 25, 2010
Mondays (10am–6pm)
Tuesdays–Wednesdays (10am–7:30pm)
Thursdays–Saturdays (10am–6pm)
Sundays (1–5pm)
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Check out our exclusive interview with NYPL President and exhibition organizer Paul LeClerc.
On the 250th anniversary of the publication of Candide, Voltaire's masterpiece attacking the philosophical doctrine of Optimism made popular by writers like Pope and Leibniz, the NYPL organizes an intimate, profoundly engaging exhibition that examines the many forms and legacies of this bold, satirical tract. A popular tenet of the time held that, in the words of the character Pangloss, "All is for the best in this best of all possible worlds." The destructive 1755 Lisbon earthquake put the legitimacy of this kind of blind faith to the test, and Voltaire's challenge sparked censorship and controversies that remain relevant in the current political climate. The exhibition also acts as a primer on early 20th-century modern art, as the book has been illustrated by artists from Paul Klee to Rockwell Kent. And of course, there's the Leonard Bernstein opera and the scandalous Beatnik novel Candy by Terry Southern whose parallel story mandates the inclusion of his FBI file.
