Jump to content

Al Hirschfeld

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Albert Hirschfeld
Hirschfeld in 2000
Born(1903-06-21)June 21, 1903
St. Louis,Missouri,U.S.
DiedJanuary 20, 2003(2003-01-20)(aged 99)
New York City,New York,U.S.
EducationArt Students League of New York
Spouses
  • Florence Ruth Hobby
    ​
    (divorced)​
  • ​
    ​
    (m.1943; died 1994)​
  • Louise Kerz
    ​
    (m.1996)​
Children1

Albert Hirschfeld(June 21, 1903 – January 20, 2003) was an Americancaricaturistbest known for his black and white portraits of celebrities andBroadwaystars.[1]

Personal life[edit]

Al Hirschfeld was born in 1903 in a two-story duplex apartment at 1313 Carr Street[2]inSt. Louis,Missouri,and moved with his family toNew York Cityin 1915,[3]where he received art training at theArt Students Leagueand theNational Academy of Design.[4][5]

He married chorus girl Florence Ruth Hobby in 1927;[6]the couple separated in 1932 and divorced in 1943.[citation needed]That same year he married actressDolly Haas.[3]Haas died in 1994, aged 84. They had one child, a daughter, Nina (b. 1945).[3]

In 1996, he married Louise Kerz, a theatre historian (b. 1936).[7]

Career[edit]

In 1924, Hirschfeld traveled to Paris and London, where he studied painting, drawing and sculpture. When he returned to the United States, a friend, fabled Broadwaypress agentRichard Maney,showed one of Hirschfeld's drawings to an editor at theNew York Herald Tribune,which got Hirschfeld commissions for that newspaper before he moved toThe New York Times.[5]

Hirschfeld's style was unique, and he was considered to be one of the most important figures in contemporary drawing and caricature, having influenced countless artists, illustrators, and cartoonists. His caricatures were regularly drawings of pure line in black ink, for which he used a genuinecrowquill.[8]

Readers ofThe New York Timesand other newspapers prior to the time they printed in color will be most familiar with the Hirschfeld drawings that are black ink on white illustration board. However, there is a whole body of Hirschfeld's work in color.[9]Hirschfeld's full-color paintings were commissioned by many magazines, often as the cover. Examples areTV Guide,Life Magazine,American Mercury,Look Magazine,The New York Times Magazine,The New Masses,andSeventeen Magazine.[10]He also illustrated many books in color, most notably among themHarlem As Seen By Hirschfeld,with text by William Saroyan.[11]

Liza Minnelli,Minnelli on Minnelli,1999.[12]

He was commissioned byCBSto illustrate a preview magazine featuring the network's new TV programming in fall 1963. One of the programs wasCandid Camera,and Hirschfeld's caricature of the show's hostAllen Funtoutraged Funt so much he threatened to leave the network if the magazine were issued.[citation needed]Hirschfeld prepared a slightly different likeness, perhaps more flattering, but he and the network pointed out to Funt that the artwork prepared for newspapers and some other print media had been long in preparation and it was too late to withdraw it. Funt relented but insisted that what could be changed would have to be.Newsweekran asquibon the controversy.[citation needed]

Broadway, film, and more[edit]

Hirschfeld started young and continued drawing to the end of his life, thus chronicling nearly all of the major entertainment figures of the 20th century.[13]During his eight-decade career, he gained fame by illustrating the actors, singers, and dancers of various Broadway plays, which would appear in advance inThe New York Timesto herald the play's opening. Though the theater was his best-known field of interest, according to Hirschfeld's art dealer Margo Feiden, he actually drew more for the movies than he did for live plays. "By the ripe old age of 17, while his contemporaries were learning how to sharpen pencils, Hirschfeld became an art director atSelznick Pictures.He held the position for about four years, and then in 1924 Hirschfeld moved to Paris to work and lead the Bohemian life. Hirschfeld also grew a beard, necessitated by the exigencies of living in a cold water flat. This he retained for the next 75 years, presumably because "you never know when your oil burner will go on the fritz."[14]

In addition to Broadway and film, Hirschfeld also drew politicians, TV stars, and celebrities of all stripes fromCole Porterand theNicholas Brothersto the cast ofStar Trek: The Next Generation.He also caricatured jazz musicians——Glenn Miller,Duke Ellington,Count Basie,Dizzy Gillespie,Billie Holiday,andElla Fitzgerald—and rockersThe Beatles,Elvis Presley,Bruce Springsteen,Bob Dylan,Jerry Garcia,andMick Jagger.[15]In 1977, he drew the cover ofAerosmith'sDraw the Linealbum.[16][17]

Hirschfeld drew many original movie posters, including forCharlie Chaplin's films,[18]as well asThe Wizard of Oz(1939).[19]The "Rhapsody in Blue"segment in theDisneyfilmFantasia 2000was inspired by his designs, and Hirschfeld became an artistic consultant for the segment; the segment's director,Eric Goldberg,is a longtime fan of his work.[3][20]Further evidence of Goldberg's admiration for Hirschfeld can be found in Goldberg's character design and animation of the genie inAladdin(1992).[3][20]He was the subject of the Oscar-nominateddocumentary filmThe Line King: The Al Hirschfeld Story(1996).[3][21]

Nina[edit]

In 1943, Hirschfeld married German actressDolly Haas.They were married for more than 50 years and had a daughter, Nina.[14]

Photograph byCarl Van Vechten,1955

Hirschfeld is known for hiding Nina's name, written in capital letters ( "NINA" ), in most of the drawings he produced after her birth. The name would appear in a sleeve, in a hairdo, or somewhere in the background. As Margo Feiden described it, Hirschfeld engaged in the “harmless insanity,” as he called it, of hiding her name at least once in each of his drawings.[A]The number of NINAs concealed is shown by the number written to the right of his signature. Generally, if no number is to be found, either NINA appears once or the drawing was completed before she was born.[14]

For the first few months after Nina's birth, Hirschfeld intended the hidden NINAs to appeal to his circle of friends. But what he hadn't realized was that the population at large was beginning to spot them, too. When Hirschfeld thought that the gag was wearing thin among his friends and stopped concealing NINAs in his drawings, letters toThe New York Timesranging from "curious" to "furious" pressured him to begin hiding them again. He said it was easier to hide the NINAs than it was to answer all the mail. From time to time he lamented that the gimmick had overshadowed his art.[14]

In Hirschfeld's bookShow Business is No Business,Feiden recounts the following story to illustrate what Hirschfeld meant when he referred to the NINA counting as a harmless insanity: "The NINA-counting mania was well illuminated when in 1973 an NYU student kept coming back to my Gallery to stare at the same drawing each day for more than a week. The drawing was Hirschfeld's whimsical portrayal of New York's Central Park. When curiosity finally got the best of me, I asked,'What is so riveting about that one drawing that keeps you here for hours, day after day?'She answered that she had found only 11 of 39 NINAs and would not give up until all were located. I replied that the '39' next to Hirschfeld's signature was the year. Nina was born in 1945. "[14]

In his 1966 anthologyThe World of Hirschfeld,he included a drawing of Nina that he titled "Nina's Revenge". That drawing contained no NINAs. There were, however, two ALs and two DOLLYs ( "the names of her wayward parents" ).[22]

In theFantasia 2000segment, the crimp of Duke the Builder's toothpaste tube contained a NINA in tribute to Hirschfeld.[20]

Publications[edit]

American Mercurywith Al Hirschfeld's caricature ofErnest Hemingway

Al Hirschfeld famously contributed toThe New York Timesfor more than seven decades.[3]His work also appeared inThe New York Herald Tribune,The Old World,The New Yorker Magazine,Collier's,The American Mercury,TV Guide,Playbill,New Yorkmagazine, andRolling Stone.

In 1941, Hyperion Books publishedHarlem As Seen By Hirschfeld,with text byWilliam Saroyan.[23]

Hirschfeld's illustrations for the theater were gathered and published yearly in the books,The Best Plays of...(for example,The Best Plays of 1958-1959).[24]

Additional collections of Hirschfeld's illustrations include:Manhattan Oasis,Show Business Is No Business(1951),American Theater,The American Theater as Seen by Al Hirschfeld,The World of Al Hirschfeld(1970),The Lively Years, 1920-1973with text byBrooks Atkinson(1973),The Entertainers(1977),Hirschfeld by Hirschfeld(1979),Hirschfeld’s World(1981),Show Business is No Businesswith preface and endnotes by Margo Feiden (1983),A Selection of Limited Edition Etchings and Lithographswith text by Margo Feiden (1983),Art and Recollections From Eight Decades(1991),Hirschfeld On Line(2000),Hirschfeld’s Hollywood(2001),Hirschfeld’s New York(2001),Hirschfeld’s Speakeasies of 1932with Introduction byPete Hamill(2003), andHirschfeld’s British Isles(2005).

Hirschfeld collaborated with humoristS. J. Perelmanon several publications, includingWestward Ha! Or, Around the World in 80 Clichés,a satirical look at the duo's travels on assignment forHolidaymagazine.[25]In 1987, theUnited States Postal Servicecommissioned him to draw a series ofpostage stampscommemorating famous American comedians.[26][5]The 1991 collection included drawings ofStan Laurel,Oliver Hardy,Edgar Bergen(withCharlie McCarthy),Jack Benny,Fanny Brice,Bud Abbott,andLou Costello.[27]He followed that with a collection of silent film stars includingRudolph Valentino,ZaSu PittsandBuster Keaton.[28]The Postal Service allowed him to include Nina's name in his drawings, waiving its own rule forbidding hidden messages in United States stamp designs.[26]

Hirschfeld expanded his audience by contributing toPatrick F. McManus' humor column inOutdoor Lifemagazine for a number of years.

Collections and tributes[edit]

Al Hirschfeld's desk and chair in the lobby of theNew York Public Library for the Performing Arts

Permanent collections of Hirschfeld's work can be found at a variety of institutions including theMetropolitan Museum of Art,theMuseum of Modern Art,[5]and theNew York Public Libraryin New York,Harvard Universityin Cambridge, and theHarry Ransom Centerin Austin, Texas.

Hirschfeld was the recipient of two lifetime achievementTony Awards.[5]On June 21, 2003, the Martin Beck Theatre on Broadway was renamed theAl Hirschfeld Theatre.[3]Hirschfeld was also honored with a star on theSt. Louis Walk of Fame.[29]

In 2002, Al Hirschfeld was awarded theNational Medal of Arts.[30]He was an Honorary Member of theSalmagundi Club.[31]

Death[edit]

On January 20, 2003, Hirschfeld died of natural causes in his home at 122 East 95th Street in Manhattan.[32]He was survived by his daughter Nina Hirschfeld West, and his third wife, Louise Kerz.[33]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^This practice has given rise to the term "nina",used bycrosswordpuzzle writers and fans to refer to "a hidden message revealed in the completed grid of a crossword".

References[edit]

  1. ^Jane Levere (November 18, 2020)."New Al Hirschfeld Exhibit Celebrates 75 Years Of Looking For Nina".forbes.com.RetrievedOctober 13,2023.Finding NINAs was an unspoken initiation into the worlds of Broadway, Hollywood and all the performing arts.
  2. ^Besser, Joe (1985).Once a Stooge, Always a Stooge.Knightsbridge Publishing. p. 6.ISBN1-877961-42-6.
  3. ^abcdefghCorliss, Richard(January 29, 2003)."That Old Feeling: The Fun in Al Hirschfeld".Time.RetrievedDecember 23,2023.
  4. ^Feiffer, Jules."Al Hirschfeld, 1903-2003".American Academy of Arts and Letters.RetrievedDecember 23,2023.
  5. ^abcdeVallance, Tom (January 22, 2003)."Al Hirschfeld: Caricaturist of 'genius' who recorded 75 years of Broadway".The Independent.RetrievedDecember 23,2023.
  6. ^Shepard, Richard F.; Gussow, Mel (January 21, 2003)."Al Hirschfeld, 99, Dies; He Drew Broadway".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on March 11, 2017.RetrievedFebruary 14,2017.
  7. ^"Louise Kerz and Al Hirschfeld".The New York Times.No. 27 October 1996. New York. October 27, 1996.Archivedfrom the original on March 4, 2016.RetrievedDecember 3,2016.
  8. ^Hirschfeld, Al."Al Hirschfeld.com".Any Drawing on the Website.Margo Feiden Galleries Ltd. Archived fromthe originalon May 4, 2013.RetrievedApril 25,2013.
  9. ^Hirschfeld, Al."Al Hirschfeld's Early Color Portfolio".Hirschfeld's Early Color Portfolio.Margo Feiden Galleries Ltd.RetrievedApril 25,2013.
  10. ^Brian, Greg."The Fall of the TV Guide Empire".Yahoo!. Archived fromthe originalon June 15, 2013.RetrievedApril 25,2013.
  11. ^Hirschfeld, Al (1941).Harlem As Seen By Hirschfeld.New York: Hyperion Press.
  12. ^Hirschfeld, Al."Liza Minnelli, Minnelli on Minnelli".Margo Feiden Galleries Ltd. Archived fromthe originalon November 12, 2013.RetrievedMay 23,2013.
  13. ^The Hirschfeld Century: Portrait of an artist and his age,edited and with text by David Leopold, Knopf, 2015.
  14. ^abcdeShow Business is No Business(1983). New York: Da Capo Press, pp. Endnotes,ISBN0306762218
  15. ^"Al Hirschfeld/Margo Feiden Galleries Ltd".Alhirschfeld.com.Archivedfrom the original on January 13, 2017.RetrievedDecember 14,2016.
  16. ^Elliott, Paul (April 7, 2020)."Drugs and dysfunction: how Aerosmith made Draw The Line and Night In The Ruts".Louder.RetrievedDecember 24,2023.
  17. ^"Aerosmith".alhirschfeldfoundation.org.RetrievedDecember 24,2023.
  18. ^Kanfer, Stefan(October 4, 2015)."The End of the Line".City Journal.RetrievedDecember 23,2023.
  19. ^Chandler, Adam (June 21, 2013)."Al Hirschfeld, George Gershwin, Rhapsody in Blue: The perfect combination comes together".Tablet.RetrievedDecember 24,2023.
  20. ^abcBuhlman, Jocelyn (January 28, 2020)."Q&A with Eric and Susan Goldberg about the Magical, Musical World ofFantasia 2000".D23.RetrievedDecember 23,2023.
  21. ^"The 69th Academy Awards | 1997".www.oscars.org.October 5, 2014.RetrievedDecember 23,2023.
  22. ^Hirschfeld, Al (1970).The World of Hirschfeld.New York: Harry N. Abrams.ISBN0810901773.
  23. ^Harlem As Seen By HirschfeldArchived2016-11-22 at theWayback Machine,Manhattan Rare Books. Retrieved November 21, 2016
  24. ^"The best plays of 1958-1959, ed. by Louis Kronenberger; illustrated with drawings by HirschfeldArchived2016-11-22 at theWayback Machine,"Yuma County Library District. Retrieved November 21, 2016
  25. ^Heller, Steven(January 12, 2022)."When Al Hirschfeld Lit Up the Great White Way".Print.RetrievedDecember 23,2023.
  26. ^abMcAllister, Bill (April 15, 1994)."Hirschfeld's 'Silent' Stars".The Washington Post.RetrievedDecember 24,2023.
  27. ^"Comedians by Hirschfeld".alhirschfeldfoundation.org.RetrievedDecember 24,2023.
  28. ^"Silent Screen Stars".alhirschfeldfoundation.org.RetrievedDecember 24,2023.
  29. ^"St. Louis Walk of Fame Inductees".St. Louis Walk of Fame. Archived fromthe originalon 31 October 2012.Retrieved25 April2013.
  30. ^"Lifetime Honors: National Medal of Arts".Nea.gov.December 8, 2003. Archived fromthe originalon December 8, 2003.RetrievedJuly 25,2017.
  31. ^"New York Architecture Images-Salmagundi Club".Nyc-architecture.com.November 24, 1937.Archivedfrom the original on April 17, 2017.RetrievedDecember 14,2016.
  32. ^Gussow, Richard F. Shepard With Mel (January 21, 2003)."Al Hirschfeld, 99, Dies; He Drew Broadway".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedApril 28,2021.
  33. ^Hawtree, Christopher (January 22, 2003)."Obituary: Al Hirschfeld".The Guardian.RetrievedDecember 24,2023.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toAl Hirschfeld.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Al_Hirschfeld&oldid=1233226840"