Masquerade

In the 1940s and 50s, Nebraska artist Doane Powell created a series of strange and wonderful masks. As a former cartoonist for the Omaha Bee, Powell eventually moved to New York City and shifted his focus from drawing faces to sculpting them with layers of craft paper and adhesive, creating exaggerated caricatures and realistic likenesses of famous figures. From Clark Gable to Mae West to Hitler, the masks range from playful to a bit spooky. After years of neglect, many of Powell’s masks have been restored and are now in the collection of the History Nebraska Museum.