Saul Steinberg Romanian-American, 1914-1999

Perhaps most famous for his New Yorker illustrations and cartoons, Saul Steinberg also made paintings, drawings, photographs, collages, and sculptures that chronicled the modern American psyche. His style is characterized by emotive linework, a mélange of high and low cultural references, and an acute eye for the details and absurdities of city life. While his work could be humorous, Steinberg also made surreal tableaux and offered profound meditations on the post-war experience.

Early in his career, the artist made advertisements that were published in magazines including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Fortune, and Time. Steinberg’s work has been exhibited in New York, London, Paris, Tokyo, Berlin, Los Angeles, and Copenhagen. His work belongs in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Centre Pompidou, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Moderna Museet, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Whitney Museum of American Art (via Artsy).