This topical collection is based on a past exhibit in the National Portrait Gallery entitled Rebels and Beats: Painters and Poets of the 1950s. This collection might be used by teachers or students who want to explore the counterculture of the 1950s, a time period typically associated with conformity. The collection includes paintings, photographs, and videos related to the writers and artists involved in the Beat Generation, San Francisco Renaissance, Black Mountain College, and New York School scenes.

In what ways did these artists challenge the social norms of the time? Why is art often a means of challenging the status quo?

tags: Ginsberg, Kerouac, Ferlinghetti, de Kooning, Baraka, poem, counterculture, Beat Movement