About this Event

From the world-renowned Korshak Collection comes a landmark exhibition alongside the release of its richly illustrated companion catalogue. Join us for a gathering of visionary masterworks that shaped the golden age of science fiction, fantasy and horror, and continue to inspire the imagination of generations.

The evening begins in Mechanical Hall with welcome remarks from Interim Provost William Farquhar and Vice Provost Trevor A. Dawes, followed by a conversation with collector Stephen Korshak led by Michael Dirda, Pulitzer Prize–winning columnist and author. Guests will then enjoy cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in Old College and an opportunity to explore the exhibition across two historic gallery spaces. Copies of the exhibition catalogue will also be available for purchase.

About the Korshak Collection

This collection has been conceived and assembled by Stephen Korshak and includes illustrations from Edgar Rice Burroughs’s Tarzan series, classic pulp magazines like Amazing Stories and Weird Tales, and works by Frank Frazetta, Frank Schoonover, Hannes Bok and Margaret Brundage. From mischievous satyrs and mysterious mermaids to spell-casting witches, these illustrations bring to life stories from Don Quixote and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to those of Edgar Allan Poe and H.G. Wells.

About the Exhibition

Embark on a visually breathtaking journey through more than a century and a half of imaginative art. This two-gallery exhibition, presented across the University of Delaware’s Mechanical Hall Gallery and the West Gallery in Old College, showcases 80 original works of art by 50 renowned illustrators whose visionary work helped shape the genres of science fiction and fantasy, and celebrates the groundbreaking legacy of Erle Korshak and Shasta Publishers in fantasy and science fiction.

About the Catalogue

The exhibition is accompanied by the catalogue Icons of the Fantastic: Illustrations of Imaginative Literature from the Korshak Collection, published by the University of Delaware Press and co-edited by David M. Brinley and Amanda T. Zehnder. Featuring nearly 200 images of artwork spanning more than 160 years of science fiction and fantasy illustration, the catalogue includes essays on renowned and understudied illustrators alike. Contributions feature a foreword by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, a preface by bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson, and an introduction by Pulitzer Prize–winning columnist and author Michael Dirda.