Saul Steinberg facts for kids

Saul Steinberg (born June 15, 1914 – died May 12, 1999) was a famous Romanian-American artist. He was best known for his amazing drawings in The New Yorker magazine. One of his most famous works is View of the World from 9th Avenue. Steinberg often said he was "a writer who draws," showing how much thought he put into his art.

Life and Early Art Career

Saul Steinberg was born in Râmnicu Sărat, Buzău County, Romania. His family was of Jewish descent. In 1932, he started studying at the University of Bucharest. The next year, in 1933, he moved to Italy. He enrolled at the Polytechnic University of Milan to study architecture. He finished his degree in 1940.

In 1936, Steinberg began drawing cartoons for a funny newspaper called Bertoldo. However, by 1938, new laws were made in Italy that were unfair to Jewish people. These laws forced him to look for a new country where he could be safe.

Moving to America and War Service

In 1941, Steinberg found safety in the Dominican Republic. He stayed there for a year while waiting for a visa to enter the United States. Even before he arrived in the US, his drawings were already appearing in American magazines. His first drawing for The New Yorker was published in October 1941.

Steinberg finally arrived in New York City in July 1942. Soon after, he joined the US Naval Reserve. He was later sent to work for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), a special US intelligence agency during World War II. He used his artistic skills to help with morale operations in places like China, North Africa, and Italy. In 1944, he returned to Washington and married Hedda Sterne, who was also a painter from Romania.

Post-War Art and Exhibitions

After World War II ended, Steinberg continued to create drawings for The New Yorker. His art also appeared in other popular magazines like Fortune, Vogue, Mademoiselle, and Harper's Bazaar. At the same time, his artwork began to be shown in art galleries and museums.

In 1946, his work was part of an important show called "Fourteen Americans" at The Museum of Modern Art in New York. He exhibited alongside other famous artists like Arshile Gorky and Isamu Noguchi. Throughout his life, Steinberg had more than 80 solo art shows. These shows took place in galleries and museums across the US, Europe, and South America. Many museums around the world now have his artwork in their collections.

Steinberg and his wife, Hedda Sterne, separated in 1960. However, they remained good friends for the rest of their lives.

Steinberg's Unique Artistic Style

Saul Steinberg had a very long and varied career. He created art using many different materials and for many different purposes. Besides his magazine drawings and gallery art, he also made art for advertisements, special photos, textiles (fabrics), stage sets for plays, and large wall murals.

Because he worked in so many different ways, it was sometimes hard for art experts to place his work into one specific category of art history. Steinberg himself understood this, saying, "I don't quite belong to the art, cartoon or magazine world, so the art world doesn't quite know where to place me."

He is often described as an artist who was always exploring new visual ideas. He didn't see a difference between "high art" (like paintings in museums) and "low art" (like cartoons). He mixed these styles freely in his work. His art was very diverse in style but always showed deep thought and a wonderful visual imagination.

The Saul Steinberg Foundation

After Saul Steinberg passed away on May 12, 1999, The Saul Steinberg Foundation was created. This foundation works to help people learn about and appreciate Saul Steinberg's important contributions to 20th-century art. It also provides resources for art experts and the general public who want to study his work.

See also

In Spanish: Saul Steinberg para niños