Signs in Times of War in Zutphen

The intriguing story of the Jewish-born Zutphen-based cartoonist Jo Spier during the Second World War and the works of twenty contemporary Dutch and international political cartoonists are presented as a diptych in the exhibition 'Drawing in Times of War'. The last day to see the expo is June 22, 2025, at the Stedelijk Museum Zutphen. A very fascinating exhibition of master cartoonist Jo Spier. His time in Theresienstadt is discussed in detail. If you don't have plans for tomorrow anyway….

Signs in Times of War

Never before have Spier's war years been illuminated in such detail. The sub-exhibition 'Jo Spier' was preceded by extensive research by curator Christiaan te Strake and guest curator Niels Beugeling. Not only his background (Jewish) but also his work (particularly for De Telegraaf) got Spier into trouble during the Second World War. These years have remained shrouded in mystery until now, especially due to the forced labor he ultimately had to perform in Theresienstadt. The exhibition takes visitors through the events of this momentous period.

Both national and international cartoonists have a place in the sub-exhibition 'Political Cartoonists of Today'. For instance, drawings by cartoonists from Ukraine, Russia, and America are on display. In newspapers, on the internet, and on social media, they attempt to create, in their own unique way, an image of what wars and conflicts evoke in them. The critical notes make the work anything but harmless. Even in the 'free Western' world, the work of the political cartoonist is under pressure. The exhibition emphasizes the importance of freedom of expression and provides a platform for the political cartoonist. The exhibition takes place within the framework of the Liberation Year 80 Years of Freedom and the Zutphen Heritage Theme Year, and is made possible thanks to a contribution from Vfonds and the Province of Gelderland.  

Life and work

Your Muscle was a Dutch illustrator and bookbinder who later emigrated to the United States. He was of Jewish descent. He illustrated for the daily newspaper De Telegraaf between 1924 and 1939. In addition, he drew various advertisements for, among others, Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM) and Peijnenburg. Several books by his hand have also been published. Spier was the only son of Isedore Spier and Seline Elias. In 1925, he married Albertine Sophie 'Tineke' van Raalte and had three children with her: Tom, Céline, and Peter Spier.

Due to Spier's Jewish background, he spent time in various concentration camps during the Second World War. At the beginning of the war, he was held in Westerbork for some time as punishment for a caricature of Hitler he made in 1939. Afterwards, in March and April, he was held with his family (who had already been there since February) in Villa Bouchina, a reservation camp for Jews 'protected' by the occupying forces. From April 21, 1943, until the end of the war, the illustrator was imprisoned in a concentration camp. theresienstadt.  

Theresienstadt (German) or Terezín (Czech) was the Czech fortress town of Theresienstadt that was transformed into a ghetto during World War II. Theresienstadt served, among other things, as a transit camp for Jews being sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau or other extermination camps. There is often confusion regarding whether Theresienstadt should be designated as a concentration camp. Survivors called Theresienstadt a concentration camp because ghettos were not viewed by the general public as places where Nazi atrocities took place, whereas ghettos often showed high mortality rates and were used as both transit and forced labor sites. However, Terezín had already been designated a ghetto before it assumed these functions. This designation remained in use until the end of the war. The term "Jewish Settlement Area" was used by the SS in May 1943 solely for propaganda purposes. However, prisoners used the terms concentration camp and ghetto interchangeably, which led to different names after the war. There, he carried out several actions that his fellow prisoners did not appreciate. For example, he actively participated in the German propaganda film. Theresienstadt: A documentary film from the Jewish Siedlungsgebiet, and he delivered fiery speeches to his fellow prisoners on several occasions, allegedly under pressure from the camp leadership. This film can be seen in the exhibition. After the war, rumors circulated that Spier had collaborated with the occupying forces. These allegations led him to decide to emigrate to the United States with his family. There, too, he became successful as an illustrator, as did his son Peter Spier, who turned out to have his father's talent. Jo Spier continued to live in America until his death; he passed away at the age of 77 while visiting his son Peter.  

The Marshall Plan and You

This is Jo Spier's most famous printed work. Most people own this copy themselves. The largest post-war commission came from the Ministry of Economic Affairs in 1949. As part of the financial aid that the United States offered to a number of Western European countries in the years after the war, Spier produced the brochure. The Marshall Plan and YouThe brochure was distributed primarily among the schoolchildren of the Netherlands. The little Volendam boy climbing the dollar sign with a ladder would become a well-known symbol of this American financial aid plan all over the world. [/ One_half] [one_half_last]                   In 1949, the Dutch government published a comic strip, illustrated by Jo Spier, highlighting the benefits of the Marshall Plan: the aid from the United States for the economic and financial reconstruction of the European countries devastated by the war.

The Marshall Plan was a comprehensive material aid plan that came into effect three years after World War II, at the initiative of the then US Secretary of State George C. Marshall. This European Recovery Program (ERP) was aimed at the economic reconstruction of the war-torn countries in Europe. A key driver of this aid was to create a strong buffer against the expansion of communism from Stalin's Soviet Union. Relations between the United States and the Soviet Union had deteriorated rapidly and had led to the "Truman Doctrine".  

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Museums Zutphen, Jo Spier through June 22, 2025: https://museazutphen.nl/plan-je-bezoek/tentoonstellingen/tekenen-in-tijden-van-oorlog/ The Marshall Plan and You (1949), browse 21 pages: https://www.cvce.eu/obj/brochure_geillustreerd_door_jo_spier_over_nederland_en_het_marshall_plan_1949-nl-292d82d3-751c-45e8-89af-46f24c16f41c.html Previous World War II blogs: https://www.postzegelblog.nl/tag/tweede-wereldoorlog/