NEW EXHIBITIONS FROM THE NEW YORKER TO SHREK: THE ART OF WILLIAM STEIG

Known for his brilliant cartoons for The New Yorker and his award-winning children’s books, William Steig (1907–2003) was an American original whose achievements remain unparalleled. He first gained fame through his artwork for The New Yorker where he ushered in a new era by radically transforming the way cartoons were created at the magazine.

In the 73 years that Steig worked for The New Yorker, more than 120 of his covers and over 1,600 of his drawings were published. Beginning in his sixties, Steig became a successful writer and illustrator of children’s literature, creating such award-winning titles as Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (1969) and Doctor De Soto (1982). His 1990 picture book Shrek! —which means “fear” in Yiddish—inspired the Academy Award-winning feature film Shrek (2001) and its two sequels – Shrek 2 (2004) and Shrek the Third (2007) – as well as an upcoming Broadway musical. From November 4, 2007 through March 16, 2008, The Jewish Museum will present From The New Yorker to Shrek: The Art of William Steig, the first major exhibition of the artist’s work. Marking the centennial of Steig’s birth, the exhibition will offer a rare opportunity to view over 190 original drawings, many of which have never before been on display.

Museum visitors will discover art ranging from classic cartoons to psychologically charged pen-and-ink drawings, from Picassoesque portraits to geometric figure studies, and from delicately rendered sketches to vibrant watercolors.

In addition, the exhibition will include several of the artist’s notebooks and sketchbooks, letters, and Steig’s preparatory dummies for children’s books. Some of the character studies and models created by animators at DreamWorks, the studio that produced the Shrek movies, will also be on view. Following its New York showing, the exhibition will travel to The Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco, CA (June 8 – September 7, 2008) and one other venue.