Die gute alte Zeit ("The Good Old Days")

Die gute alte Zeit ("The Good Old Days") — R. B. Kitaj. 1969.

Medium: screenprint and collage. Dimensions: .

Collection record: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland. Museum connection according to this source; current display unverified.

Born in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, R. B. Kitaj designed this 1969 screenprint for a series about London during the Blitz, a prolonged German bombing campaign on British cities in 1940–41 during the Second World War. He juxtaposed old newspaper clippings, ephemera, and vintage wallpaper to evoke a nostalgic response to British solidarity in the face of the enemy. The collaged wallpaper, featuring designs from the war period, suggests both homes lost and cultural survival. A campaign poster for Adolf Hitler alongside another advertisement reading “Die gute alte Zeit,” or “The good old time,” remind viewers of the foe, but also call into question a cheery perception of the past.

Source: official collection record. Metadata selected and normalized by Artline from the source export, accessed 10 September 2026; no museum endorsement. Reproduction rights are separate.