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Saul Steinberg

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Artist

The Resume

    (June 14, 1914-May 12, 1999)
    Born in Ramnicu Sarat, Romania
    Painter, illustrator, and cartoonist
    Contributed to The New Yorker, Vogue, Mademoiselle, and Harper's Bazaar
    Best known work was 'A View of the World from 9th Avenue' (New Yorker cover; March 29, 1976)

Why he might be annoying:

    He had a degree in architecture, but never designed a single building.
    He tried to immigrate to the US using a passport with diplomatic stamps that he drew himself; he ended up stuck in the Dominican Republic for a year, waiting for a legal US visa.
    He noted, 'I don't quite belong in the art, cartoon, or magazine world, so the art world doesn't quite know what to do with me.'
    He complained that the success of 'A View of the World...' diminished his significance to 'the man who did that poster.'
    When a younger New Yorker cartoonist told him, 'You've been a profound influence on me,' he replied, 'I would be surprised if I wasn't.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    During World War II, he worked in the Morale Operations division of the Office of Strategic Services.
    His drawings were included in the influential 'Fourteen Americans' show at the Museum of Modern Art (1946), alongside works by Arshile Gorky, Robert Motherwell, and Isamu Noguchi.
    Despite never designing a building, he received a medal from the American Institute of Architects, who noted, 'His meticulous draftsmanship, inspired imagination, and satirical gifts have shown us our buildings and ourselves from a new perspective.'
    He won a lawsuit against Columbia Pictures, which had imitated 'A View of the World...' in the poster art for the film 'Moscow on the Hudson.' (1980)
    The American Society of Magazine Editors named 'A View of the World from 9th Avenue' the fourth greatest magazine cover of the past 40 years (2005); it was also the highest-rated cover that was a drawing instead of a photograph.

Credit: C. Fishel


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Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying