|
From National Book Award winner Deirdre
Bair, the definitive biography of Saul Steinberg, one of
The New Yorker's most iconic
artists.
The issue date was March 29,
1976. The New Yorker cost 75 cents. And on the
cover unfolded Saul Steinberg's vision of the world: New
York City, the Hudson River, and then...well, it's
really just a bunch of stuff you needn't concern
yourself with. Steinberg's brilliant depiction of the
world according to self-satisfied New Yorkers placed him
squarely in the pantheon of the magazine's—and the
era's—most celebrated artists.
But if you
look beyond the searing wit and stunning artistry,
you'll find one of the most fascinating lives of the
twentieth century. Born in Romania, Steinberg was
educated in Milan and was already famous for his
satirical drawings when World War II forced him to
immigrate to the United States. On a single day,
Steinberg became a US citizen, a commissioned officer in
the US Navy, and a member of the OSS, assigned to spy in
China, North Africa, and Italy. After the war ended, he
returned to America and to his art. He quickly gained
entree into influential circles that included Saul
Bellow, Vladimir Nabokov, Willem de Kooning, and Le
Corbusier. His wife was the artist Hedda Sterne, from
whom he separated in 1960 but never divorced and
with whom he remained in daily contact for the rest
of his life. This conveniently freed him up to
amass a coterie of young mistresses and lovers. But his
truly great love was the United States, where he
traveled extensively by bus, train, and car, drawing,
observing, and writing.
His body of work
is staggering and influential in ways we may not yet
even be able to fully grasp, quite possibly because
there has not been a full-scale biography of him until
now. Deirdre Bair had access to 177 boxes of
documents and more than 400 drawings. In addition, she
conducted several hundred personal interviews.
Steinberg's curious talent for creating myths about
himself did not make her job an easy one, but the
result is a stunning achievement to admire and
enjoy.
|
|
