Saul Steinberg

BORN: 1914 in Ramnicu Sarat, Romania
DIED: 1999 in New York, New York

Saul Steinberg was an acclaimed graphic artist whose ever-evolving style represented the rapid changes in postwar life during the 20th century. Early in his career, Steinberg studied architecture and contributed cartoons to Italian humor newspapers such as Bertoldo and Settebello, until anti-Semitic laws in fascist Italy forced him to flee. In 1942, he came to the United States where he began his nearly six-decade-long career creating inside drawings and covers for The New Yorker, such as the famous 1976 cover View of the World from 9th Avenue. Gaining traction in the art world, Steinberg also exhibited in international galleries and museums, including a landmark exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art alongside Arshile Gorky, Isamu Noguchi, and Robert Motherwell.

Steinberg defined drawing as “a way of reasoning on paper,” an idea he constantly explored in new visual territories of drawings, paintings, collages, murals, and sculptures. Through a wide range of media, Steinberg often combined several styles into a single piece of art as a way to expose the imbalance between artifice and authenticity in modern life. Either ironically or affectionately, but always with a bit of humor, Steinberg’s complex art blends reality with the absurd, depicting the nuances in art and civilization.

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 Past Exhibition Catalogues

Saul Steinberg North Carolina, 1955 Ink and watercolor on paper 14.5 x 23" SS5

Saul Steinberg
North Carolina, 1955
Ink and watercolor on paper
14.5 x 23"
SS5

Saul Steinberg General A, 1969 Watercolor and rubberstamp on paper 28.75 x 34.75” SS6

Saul Steinberg
General A, 1969
Watercolor and rubberstamp on paper
28.75 x 34.75”
SS6

Saul Steinberg Still life with Rubber Stamps #1 (Uno, Une, Ein), 1966 Ink and wax crayon on paper 15 x 22.25” SS7

Saul Steinberg
Still life with Rubber Stamps #1 (Uno, Une, Ein), 1966
Ink and wax crayon on paper
15 x 22.25”
SS7

Saul Steinberg The Affairs of the Anatol, 1957 Ink, graphite, colored pencil and paper collage on paper signed and illegibly inscribed 23 x 15" SS13

Saul Steinberg
The Affairs of the Anatol, 1957
Ink, graphite, colored pencil and paper collage on paper
signed and illegibly inscribed
23 x 15"
SS13

Saul Steinberg Railway, 1952 Ink and wax crayon on paper 14.5 x 23” SS11All images © The Saul Steinberg Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Saul Steinberg
Railway, 1952
Ink and wax crayon on paper
14.5 x 23”
SS11

All images © The Saul Steinberg Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York