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← Art Through History › The 20th Century

1957–1972

The Space Race & the Moon Landing

In 1957 the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, and the Space Race began. In 1961 Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space, and on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin of Apollo 11 became the first people to walk on the Moon while Michael Collins orbited above. Twelve Americans walked on the Moon in all.

Why artists painted it

NASA photographs from the Moon are some of the most famous images of all time, and they count as art too: Earthrise and the Blue Marble changed how people see our planet.

A Man on the Moon (Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11) A Man on the Moon (Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11) · NASA (photograph by Neil Armstrong), 1969

12 artworks about this moment

A Man on the Moon (Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11) A Man on the Moon (Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11) NASA (photograph by Neil Armstrong) · 1969 👁️ Painted at the time Buzz Aldrin stands on the Moon on July 20, 1969, in a photograph taken by Neil Armstrong, whose reflection you can see in Aldrin's gold visor. Earthrise Earthrise NASA (photograph by William Anders) · 1968 👁️ Painted at the time Our blue Earth rises over the gray edge of the Moon in this photograph taken by astronaut William Anders on Christmas Eve 1968 during Apollo 8, the first time people had seen the whole Earth from another world. The Blue Marble The Blue Marble NASA (Apollo 17 crew) · 1972 👁️ Painted at the time The whole Earth, round and blue and shining, photographed by the Apollo 17 astronauts on their way to the Moon in December 1972. Apollo 11 Launch Apollo 11 Launch NASA · 1969 👁️ Painted at the time A Saturn V rocket rises on a pillar of fire and smoke at the Kennedy Space Center on July 16, 1969, carrying the Apollo 11 crew to the Moon. Alan Shepard in the Freedom 7 Capsule Alan Shepard in the Freedom 7 Capsule NASA · 1961 👁️ Painted at the time Astronaut Alan Shepard sits in the tiny Freedom 7 capsule before his flight on May 5, 1961, when he became the first American in space. Buzz Aldrin's Bootprint on the Moon Buzz Aldrin's Bootprint on the Moon NASA (photograph by Neil Armstrong) · 1969 👁️ Painted at the time A single bootprint in the gray Moon dust, taken by the Apollo 11 astronauts to study the lunar soil. Aldrin Looks Back at Tranquility Base Aldrin Looks Back at Tranquility Base NASA (photograph by Neil Armstrong) · 1969 👁️ Painted at the time Buzz Aldrin looks back at the landing site, Tranquility Base, in the bright gray landscape of the Moon, with the lunar module Eagle behind him. Buzz Aldrin Descends the Lunar Module Ladder Buzz Aldrin Descends the Lunar Module Ladder NASA (photograph by Neil Armstrong) · 1969 👁️ Painted at the time Buzz Aldrin climbs down the ladder of the Apollo 11 lunar module Eagle onto the Moon in July 1969. Buzz Aldrin and the U.S. Flag on the Moon Buzz Aldrin and the U.S. Flag on the Moon NASA (photograph by Neil Armstrong) · 1969 👁️ Painted at the time Buzz Aldrin stands beside the American flag on the Moon on July 20, 1969. The Apollo 11 Crew: Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin The Apollo 11 Crew: Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin NASA · 1969 👁️ Painted at the time The crew of Apollo 11: Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin, in their white space suits. Astronaut James Irwin Salutes the Flag, Apollo 15 Astronaut James Irwin Salutes the Flag, Apollo 15 NASA (photograph by David Scott) · 1971 👁️ Painted at the time Astronaut James Irwin salutes the flag beside the lunar module and the moon buggy, the lunar rover, in 1971. Apollo 11 Rolls Out to the Launch Pad Apollo 11 Rolls Out to the Launch Pad NASA · 1969 👁️ Painted at the time The huge Saturn V rocket for Apollo 11 is carried slowly toward the launch pad on a giant crawler in May 1969.