Hirschfeld On Line - Hardcover

Hirschfeld, Al

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1557833567 ISBN 13: 9781557833563

Publisher: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, 2000

Synopsis

(Applause Books). Over 400 Hirschfeld drawings and photographs many never before collected. Includes essays by Whoopi Goldberg, Arthur Miller, Mel Gussow, Kurt Vonnegut, Grace Mirabella, Louise Kerz Hirschfeld and more! Commentary by Hirschfeld throughout.

About this title

Review:

Al Hirschfeld is one of the greatest caricaturists ever to have put pen to paper, and this monumental retrospective is a testament to his genius. From '30s icons like actors Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontaine to the stars of Seinfeld, Hirschfeld's fluid line has limned some of the most enduring images of our favorite entertainers. The collection opens with a biographical essay by New York Times writer Mel Gussow that sketches the arc of Hirschfeld's career and the development of his reputation as a chronicler of American show business. Additional essays by Arthur Miller, Kurt Vonnegut, Whoopi Goldberg, and Hirschfeld's daughter Nina cast further light on the artist, but the bulk of the book is, of course, given over to his wonderful drawings. Hirschfeld has written that it is his aim to capture character, rather than caricature, and each of the hundreds of images reproduced here encapsulates its subject perfectly, without ever resorting to cruelty. After more than six decades, Hirschfeld has recorded the careers of generations of performers, and this collection further illuminates his work by including comments on each drawing by the artist himself, providing a delightful personal history of Broadway, Hollywood, and all points in between. --Simon Leake

From Library Journal:

Broadway and Al Hirschfeld are as inextricably linked as Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, the Marx Brothers, or Stella and Stanley Kowalski?a Hirschfeld drawing elevates both artist and image to the status of cultural icon. The 500-plus drawings, paintings, and photographs selected for this celebratory jewel span Hirschfeld's 70-year (and counting) career and are a moveable feast of art and theater history. In addition to laudatory tributes by Mel Gussow, Arthur Miller, the one-and-only Nina, and others, Hirschfeld himself provides delightful insight and commentary on most of the drawings, dishing up annecdotes, quips, and bon mots that would have made best friend S.J. Perelman proud. Regretfully, a 32-page section of full-color photographs was not available for review. For anyone who cares a whit for the theater, has ever perused the theater pages of the New York Times, or assiduously tried to find each and every hidden "Nina," this treasure chest of Broadway booty is an unmitigated joy.?Barry X. Miller, Austin Public Lib., TX
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 1557833567
• ISBN 13: 9781557833563
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 343