The Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti

Ben Shahn's work is a collection of 32 gouache paintings that depict scenes from a legal trial and explore questions of justice and guilt. The compositions blend details from the case with emotional representations of the people involved.

The work was created in 1931 and 1932 as an artistic response to an American legal case involving two Italian immigrants that had sparked divisions years before. The case had split the nation and Shahn's paintings reopened those unresolved tensions.

The series was created as a response to a controversial legal case and reflects the concerns of that era about immigrant treatment. Visitors can see how Shahn used art to ask questions that troubled many people at the time.

The works are located on an exterior wall of the Law School at Syracuse University and can be viewed during regular campus hours without charge. Since the installation is outdoors, weather conditions may affect visibility and access.

One version of this work was transformed into mosaic by French artist Gabriel Loire and displays the two main figures at larger-than-life scale. This material gives the work a different quality and makes it a lasting presence on campus.