Al Hirschfeld

Self portrait, 1980. Picture: Blackacre Galleries
Source: Illustration Chronicles

I first recognized Al Hirschfeld’s drawing via some graphics of Avi Gold’s Bootleg is Better brand - now transformed to BetterTM as part of his Better Gift Shop project. One with a self-portrait shown above and one with a drawing of comedy legends Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David sitting at a diner table and discussing. Somehow these caricatures seemed oddly familiar and vital. After browsing through many of the caricatures - of course not through all of the rumored thousands of artworks - I have to say that the Seinfeld-David-combo is still among my personal favorites. Especially compared to the borderline haunting portrait paintings of main characters of Seinfeld used as special edition covers for TV Guide. They were published to bid farewell to the show before the airing of its final episode. While being on the topic of paintings related to the show about nothing; make sure to check out the excellent Seinfelds series by Morgan Blair.

Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David by Al Hirschfeld, 1994. Image: Margo Feiden Galleries Ltd.
Source: Pinterest

Maybe it was selective perception, but shortly after researching a bit about Hirschfeld, I watched the Martin Short episode of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee and he talked about how a Hirschfeld drawing manages to ridicule its subject while simultaneously illustrating and honoring its (often) extraordinary talent. The guy was a true master of caricature. He chronicled US-American pop-culture in the 20th century with a mixture of seeming effortlessness, grace, and wit that is unparalleled. “Everybody looks interesting in a Hirschfeld drawing. That's because Hirschfeld found everybody to be interesting".” wrote Pulitzer Price winning playwright Arthur Miller once. Hirschfeld also was a highly-skilled craftsman. While watching plays, he often sketched in his pocket and/or in the dark in order not to disturb other viewers in the theater. Afterwards, he went home and finished the works while sitting in an old barber chair in which he drew every day. In 1996 Susan Warms Dryfoos released her documentary about Hirschfeld called The Line King - The Al Hirschfeld Story. The film gives plenty of insight into his life’s journey, his process, and illustrates his iconic status within the entertainment industry - especially in the theater and Broadway musical scene. It also shows his struggles and frustrations with his line of work. He explains how he just got his first permanent contract with the New York Times after working for them for over 70 years. “There is no crying need for caricature. […] It’s a lemming profession. […] If you want to make a living, open a Deli, but art is no way to do it” he concludes at one point.

Gallery: Supreme Graphics in Al Hirschfeld’s style. Probably by Cool Calm Pete.
Sources: Grailed; Fox In The Snow; Rakuten

In their quest for using insider New York City references, Hirschfeld’s work was also adapted by Supreme. Maybe that is why the drawings seemed so familiar. Say what you want about Supreme - call them out on lazy collaboration collections and licensing - but they get many of their references pretty much right to detail, especially the less obvious ones. This is one of those cases. Hirschfeld used to hide his daughter’s Name NINA in his weekly drawings for The New York Times. If you ever see a Hirschfeld drawing with a number next to his signature, the number indicates the number of hidden Ninas within the artwork. For fans, this was another fun way to engage with Hirschfeld’s already fun-packed work. Cool Calm Pete - the artist supposedly responsible for the Hirschfeld style caricatures of N.W.A., the Droogs, and Prodigy - also hid the word Supreme in his adaptations. Whether it be the Supreme graphics or the Hirschfeld’s incredible body of work; have fun searching.

Sources:
https://illustrationchronicles.com/Al-Hirschfeld-Broadway-s-King-of-Caricature
https://www.instagram.com/p/BfG047khT1n/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BOAX7IQAzx0/
https://www.grailed.com/listings/8347818-supreme-rare-supreme-nwa-tee
https://www.grailed.com/listings/7024646-Supreme-2003-clockwork-orange-tee

Thumbnail Picture: Photograph by Alan Behr, 1999. © The Al Hirschfeld Foundation. All rights reserved. www.AlHirschfeldFoundation.org.
Source: Al Hirschfeld Foundation