The Ghost Army Exhibit

Two Rockland County veterans reveal the secret story of how artists used deception & ingenuity to help win World War II.  In 1944, an army unit loaded with art students, actors, and sound technicians were sent to Europe with rubber tanks, phony artillery, a cache of sound effects and their sketchbooks. Their mission was to deceive the enemy. While impersonating many different army units, they also painted and sketched their way across war-torn Europe. Their story is one of “smoke & mirrors” that was kept top-secret for 50 years.

 The unit became an incubator for young artists who eventually came to settle in and around NYC – including Rockland, Westchester, Putnam and Connecticut.  Many still reside in this area.  Nationally known luminaries such as Bill Blass and Ellsworth Kelly, Arthur Singer and Art Kane were also part of the Ghost Army. This exhibit features the work of Rockland County Ghost Army artists, Bill Sayles of South Nyack and Ned Harris, of New City.

Now, more than 65-years after the war, the interest in The Ghost Army and its operations continues to grow as more learn about this little-known chapter of American history. It is currently the subject of three books and an extraordinary documentary film in production.