“Doodling is the brooding of the hand” – Saul Steinberg.

His wordless pen and ink drawings prove he was a wry critic of the pretensions of the design world. If you’re after a synopsis of life in the 20th century study the complete work of Steinberg.

Well known in the US, Steinberg is a cult figure in the U.K.

He also dabbled in what the curators describe as “word architecture”.

In View of the World from 9th Avenue, his famous 1976 New Yorker cover, a map delineates not real space but the mental geography of Manhattanites.

Steinberg with Le Masque mural, Galerie Maeght, Paris, 1966.

Saul Steinberg: Illuminations
The exhibition assembles examples of the remarkable range of works Steinberg produced during his prolific 60-year career–drawings, paintings, sculptures, photographs, prints, paper-bag masks, collages, murals, holiday cards, and stage sets–many of them never before exhibited.

EUROPEAN ITINERARY
Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, March 13-June 1, 2009

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