Hirschfeld's New York [Paperback]

Clare Bell (Editor), Al Hirschfeld (Illustrator), Frank Rich (Introduction), Frank Rich (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2001

"A Hirschfeld vibrates and "pops," capturing a fleeting moment, and never looks back."
-Frank Rich

Remarkable for their movement and expression, conveyed with only a few well- placed strokes of a pen, the drawings of Al Hirschfeld (b. 1903) have beguiled the American public for nearly 80 years. His deft technical mastery and droll wit have earned him wide recognition as one of the top caricaturists of all time.

Coinciding with an exhibition of the artist's work at the Museum of the City of New York, this delightful, affordable paperback showcases, for the first time, the artist's irrepressible view of New York life. From 1920s Harlem to the Algonquin Round Table, these cunning scenes-elucidated by curator Clare Bell's text and an introduction by New York Times columnist Frank Rich-form a portrait of the city's vanished cultural landscape that is as irresistible as it is unique.
109 illustrations, 10 in full color, 96 pages, 9 x 10"

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In November, Abrams presents two tributes to esteemed cartoon artist Al Hirschfeld. Hirschfeld's New York by Clare Bell accompanies an exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York and showcases more than 100 drawings spanning his career so far, from the 1920s through the '90s. No one and no place is safe from his gaze: Greenwich Village denizens in 1941 imitating "movie folks in dress and manner"; wartime Broadway on a Saturday night; Upper West Side intelligentsia (including Irving Howe and Jason Epstein) thronging Zabar's in the '70s. ($15.95 paper 96p ISBN 0-8109-2974-0) New York's left coast rival gets similar treatment in Hirschfeld's Hollywood. David Leopold, Hirschfeld's archivist, assembles 115 caricatures of celebrities, movie posters, press-book pages and more to accompany an exhibit at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. The book encompasses Hollywood phenoms from Capra's You Can't Take It with You from 1938, Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland in 1945's Girl Crazy, The Manchurian Candidate and Saving Private Ryan. ($15.95 paper 96p ISBN -9052-0)

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The delightfully clever illustrations in these companion books span 80 years of productivity by the still-active 98-year-old artist Hirschfeld. The dual publications coincide with dual exhibitions: one at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood and one at the Museum of the City of New York. Most people identify Hirschfeld with his lively black-and-white line caricatures of famous people and events in the entertainment industry, as reproduced in magazines and newspapers like the New York Times. Both books include examples of these caricatures but also discuss and display Hirschfeld's many other contributions to 20th-century American popular culture, and both also include photographs and self-portraits of the artist himself. A New York City resident for most of his life, Hirschfeld also became associated with Hollywood after 1920, when he started doing publicity art for movie studios then based in New York, such as Selznick, Warner, and MGM. In Hirschfeld's Hollywood, Hirschfeld's own archivist, David Leopold, showcases over 100 examples of his colorful poster and advertising work for movies through the decades. For Hirschfeld's New York, exhibit curator Bell also has selected over 100 examples, portraying the Broadway theater and other aspects of New York's night life and daily life. Both books contain works that are not well known as well as old favorites. As represented here, the sheer chronological span of one perceptive artist's interpretive work should appeal to a wide audience. While either book is highly recommended on its own, a joint purchase of these complementary books is suggested for both academic and public libraries. Anne Marie Lane, Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams; First Edition edition (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810929740
• ISBN-13: 978-0810929746
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 8.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #799,370 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #79 in Books > Arts & Photography > Drawing > Pen & Ink

More About the Author

Born in England in 1952, I moved to the US with my family in 1957. I worked in oceanography, electrical engineering, test equipment design and mechanical engineering before I wrote my first book, Ratha's Creature (Atheneum-Argo Margaret K .McElderry 1983) , the story of a prehistoric wildcat who learns to tame fire.

Since then I have continued to write fantasy and science fiction for children and adults. I continue to be fascinated by big cats, as showcased in Tomorrow's Sphinx (cheetahs in Tutanhkmen's Eygypt) and Jaguar Princess (were-jaguars in Aztec and Olmec Mexico).

My stories tend to show sociological themes as well, exploring the changes that are brought about in culture through technology. I also enjoy creating plausible and workable alien critters ( the aronan fliers in People of the Sky). The central theme of my fiction is evolution, having been influenced early by the works of C.S. Lewis, Olaf Stapledon , and Arthur C. Clarke.

I have degrees in electrical and mechanical engineering, biology and chemistry and have continued working in technical areas in addition to writing fiction. I became involved in building and designing electric vehicles and spent a year in Norway working on a production EV. I have also participated in electric vehicle racing in the Arizona Public Service Company-sponsored Solar and Electrics competitions, held from 1991 to 1998. My electric Porsche 914, known by her racing number, 13, was a well-known competitor in these races. I was also involved with the Women's Electric Racing and Educational Team (WE'RE-IT) when we raced the Porsche and our converted race-Rabbit, #6 Hop-along.

After moving to a remote site in California's coastal mountains, I and my partner put together our own solar and wind systems and experimented with a power-generating waterwheel. A naturalized citizen of the US, I now live with my partner-become-husband, Chuck Piper, in the hills west of Patterson, California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Genius in a bottle of ink, January 24, 2002

By 

JLind555 - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Hirschfeld's New York (Paperback)

When my son was seven, he used to eagerly check the arts and leisure section of the Sunday New York Times each weekend to see if there was a new drawing by the "Nina Man". If there was, there would follow an intense exploration of the drawing, usually followed by a crow of delight, "I found the Ninas!"

The "Nina Man" is, of course, Al Hirschfeld, still merrily among us at 99, and Nina is the name of is daughter, ingeniously hidden among the pen strokes of whichever person he was caricaturing. Hirschfeld is, purely and simply, a genius; a simple drawing brings out not only a person but a persona. The drawings in the book represent some of the best of his work, which spans six decades; and although the caricatures are named at the foot of the pages, the reader will have a lot of fun not only recognizing who the people are without the help of the captions, but also in searching for and finding the Ninas.

Judy Lind

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Look at this as an investment, February 21, 2002

By 

Luis G. P. Davidson "guime" (barueri, sp Brazil) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hirschfeld's New York (Paperback)

Buy this book. It's very very cheap. If you stop and visit online book sellers as Alibris or even Abe books, you'll find out that the average price for Hirschfeld's books is 200 dollars. They are all out of print now (except for Hirschfeld Online) and one day, this one will be too. So do yourself a favor: if not because the guy is a genius and the illustrations are all spectacular, buy this book because you are a smart investor.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars charming book, September 12, 2009

By 

L. Harris (Westchester, NY) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hirschfeld's New York (Paperback)

I bought this book to give as a gift and was primarily interested in the "Nina" drawings. Most of the reviews said there were lots of them, and there were a fair amount. Obviously, before his daughter was born, there weren't any, and this book covers a broad time span. All in all, the book is a good representation of Hirschfeld's work of the NY entertainment scene.