Albert Al Hirschfeld Mixed Media
American, 1903-2003
For nearly 70 years, Al Hirschfeld created iconic caricatures of theater, film and television celebrities, capturing moments in time and documenting U.S. entertainment history in the process. Art historian Lloyd Goodrich called Hirschfeld “one of the few masters of graphic humor.” "New York Times" art critic John Russell dubbed him “the Fred Astaire of pen and ink.” Brendan Gill of "The New Yorker" stated, “To be a star on Broadway is to be drawn by Hirschfeld.” And many performers believed that, regardless of any other accolades they might achieve, “if Al Hirschfeld hasn’t drawn you, you don’t exist.”
Hirschfeld began his career as a political cartoonist and became a theater caricaturist for "The New York Times" in 1925. He began creating his pure line drawings on a trip to Bali in the 1930s, and, over the course of his career, mastered the technique of using lines to capture the spirit and personality of his subjects. Hidden in each drawing is his daughter’s name, Nina, and so many people became obsessed with finding all of the Nina’s, that he developed a system of noting the number of Nina’s in each work next to his signature. In addition to "The New Yorker" and "The New York Times," Hirschfeld’s drawings appeared on playbills and posters as well as in advertisements. As a result of his work, he earned two Tony awards for lifetime achievement in theater and had a Broadway theater renamed in his honor.
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Artist: Albert Al Hirschfeld
Al Hirschfeld "Beat the Band" New York Times Broadway Theatre Illustration 1940s
By Albert Al Hirschfeld
Located in New York, NY
Al Hirschfeld (1903-2003)
"Beat the Band"
22 x 26 1/2 inches
ink on board
published in The New York Times, October 11, 1942
The unframed work comes directly from the Al Hirschfeld F...
Category
1940s American Realist Albert Al Hirschfeld Mixed Media
Materials
Ink, Board
Al Hirschfeld "Art Week" NYC illustration New York Times poster design 1940
By Albert Al Hirschfeld
Located in New York, NY
Poster design for National Art Week, November, 1940. In collaboration the Al Hirschfeld Foundation
Al Hirschfeld’s drawings stand as one of the most innovative efforts in establishi...
Category
1940s American Realist Albert Al Hirschfeld Mixed Media
Materials
Paper, Mixed Media
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Rare Edward Fields "Geisha with Fan" Al Hirschfeld Tapestry Rug
By Albert Al Hirschfeld
Located in Surfside, FL
Very Rare Hand Woven Wool Tapestry Rug Carpet produced by the Edward Fields workshops. This was written up in an article in New York magazine in the 1970s. (this is a pile weave not a flat weave like an Aubusson.) From Hirschfeld's Japanese Kabuki Theatre series; Signed EF and Hirschfeld
Albert Al Hirschfeld, American (1903 - 2003) was born in St. Louis in 1903. The family moved forthwith to New York. Soon he was enrolled at the Art Student's League. Hirschfeld has never had to convince anyone that he's a genius; it has always been apparent. By the ripe old age of 17, while his contemporaries were learning how to sharpen pencils, Hirschfeld became an art director at Selznick Pictures.
He held the position for about four years and then in 1924 he moved to Paris to work, lead the Bohemian life, and grow a beard. In 1943, Hirschfeld married one of Europe's most famous actresses, the late Dolly Haas. They were married for more than 50 years—in addition, they produced Nina. Nina is their daughter, and Hirschfeld has engaged in the "harmless insanity," as he calls it, of hiding her name at least once in each of his drawings.
It's interesting, I think, that although Hirschfeld was initially attracted to sculpture and painting, this gave way to his passion for pure line."Sculpture, he once said to me, is a drawing you trip over in the dark.
I believe that Hirschfeld's devotion to line comes from yet a more fundamental aesthetic - his respect for absolute simplicity. "When I'm rushed I do a complicated drawing. When I have the time, I do a simple one." In 1991, Al Hirschfeld became the first artist in history to have his name on a U.S. Postage Stamp Booklet when the United States Postal Service released the five stamps they commissioned Hirschfeld to design. The stamps portray Laurel & Hardy, Jack Benny, Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy...
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- 1stDibs ExpertJanuary 19, 2025Al Hirschfeld was famous for his work as an artist. For nearly 70 years, he created iconic caricatures of theater, film and television celebrities, capturing moments in time and documenting U.S. entertainment history in the process. His drawings appeared on playbills and posters as well as in advertisements. As a result of his work, he earned two Tony awards for lifetime achievement in theater and had a Broadway theater renamed in his honor. Explore a range of Al Hirschfeld art on 1stDibs.
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