Bill Mauldin retrospective cartoon exhibit opens at Pritzker Military Museum & Library

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Bill Mauldin was one of the most prolific and well-regarded cartoonists of the 20th century, both as a wartime cartoonist depicting soldier's experiences and as a political cartoonist commenting on the news. A new career retrospective exhibit at the Pritzker Military Museum & Library celebrates his legacy and his Chicago roots.

"These cartoons have really stood the test of time, and in many ways that is the test of art," said Todd DePastino, Bill Mauldin's biographer.

The Pritzker museum has been working on this exhibit for around 2 years in collaboration with the Mauldin family, who donated around 5,000 works and other objects to the new permanent collection.

"This is essentially a look at the entirety of Bill Mauldin's career," said curator James Brundage.

Mauldin's career was bookended by time spent in Chicago, first as a student at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and later as the cartoonist for the Chicago Sun-Times. In between, he won two pulitzer prizes for his work.

"It's pretty remarkable to see a life laid out like this," said Nat Mauldin, Bill's second youngest son.

Three generations of Mauldin's relatives all gathered together to see the exhibit before it opened to the public on Friday, May 14. They included an ex-wife, sons, and grandchildren, several of whom now serve in the military.

"It makes me happy that these cartoons weren't just thrown away with the newspaper when they were printed, but have been preserved and are now exhibit here at the Pritzker," said DePastino.