Saul Steinberg exhibit coming to OSU’s Museum of Art

Lauren King Staff Reporter

Oklahoma State University’s Museum of Art will display Romanian modernist artist Saul Steinberg through the exhibit “Line of Thought: The Work of Saul Steinberg,” featured from July 25 to Sept. 30.

Steinberg was best known for his illustration contributions to The New Yorker over a span of nearly six decades. Steinberg was skilled in areas such as sketching, painting, print, collages and sculptures.

“His drawings combine humor, satire and social commentary, resulting in designs which are both aesthetically pleasing and intellectually engaging,” said curator Christina Elliott.

Steinberg’s life is unlike many others; his artistic journey is unique in that he suffered the weight of many foreign political and economic tensions during his lifetime.

Steinberg was born in Romania to a Russian Jewish family. It was there that he experienced antisemitism during the 1920s, which he remembered with much bitterness for the rest of his life.

Seeking refuge, Steinberg eventually moved to Milan in 1933 where he studied architecture at the University of Milan. During his time at the university, Steinberg contributed to the Italian newspaper Bertoldo, which presented his humorous cartoons.

Seeking a way out of Italy, Steinberg began sending his illustrations to periodicals in the United States. Steinberg’s work appeared in four different popular periodicals due to the help of an illustrator’s agent in New York who was a close friend.

In 1943, Steinberg joined the U.S. Naval Reserve and became a U.S. citizen. During this time, Steinberg traveled to China, India, North Africa and Italy illustrating war propaganda for The New Yorker – a collaboration he would maintain throughout his career.