By Beth Gersh-Nesic, Contributing Writer for Modern Art
On December 29, 2009, David Levine, one of the greatest caricaturists in art history, died of complications from prostate cancer and other ailments. He was 83. Born on December 20, 1926 in Brooklyn, New York, he continued the legacy of his leftist parents through his witty renderings of celebrities, politicos and artistes of every stripe - from pop to rock to Republican. His best known work appeared biweekly in the New York Review of Books from 1963 to 2007, in the form of huge heads with tiny bodies that visually described these academically astute articles.
Levine was not only a caricaturist, but also a serious painter. His landscapes of Coney Island reflect a deep affection for his hometown. The Brooklyn Museum served as Levine's artistic introduction, Philadelphia's Tyler School of Design nurtured his skill and Pratt Institute in Brooklyn furthered his art education. He also studied with the Abstract Expressionist Hans Hoffman.
As David Margolick wrote on a blog dedicated to David Levine memorials:
The very point of caricature, Levine told me, was to teach. He wanted whomever he drew--but particularly all those politicians and tyrants and scoundrels--to behold themselves anew, warts and all, and in Levine's lexicon "all" encompassed the full panoply of blemishes, physical and characterological. After that, he hoped, they'd repent, or at least pick up a hint of humility. All those thousands of portraits Levine created for the New York Review of Books and others, then, weren't only for fun. They were to heal the world.Amen.
Related Reading and Viewing:
- D. Levine Ink - official website
- Video from the exhibition David Levine: American Presidents & Selected Paintings
- Mr. Levine's work is represented by Forum Gallery
- "David Levine, Biting Caricaturist, Dies at 83" - by Bruce Weber for The New York Times, December 29, 2009
- "Levine, an Artist Who Drew in Yiddish" - by Menachem Wecker for Forward, December 31, 2009
David Levine (American, 1926-2009)
Self-Caricature, 1968
Ink on paper
© David Levine, courtesy of Forum Gallery, New York
Comments
Thanks for linking my article!
One small correction to an otherwise well done piece. My father died of complications of prostate cancer, not pancreatic cancer. You can read more about him, including personal memories, at his blog, D. Levine Dot Commie, where many more posts will be added as they come in to info@davidlevineart.com.
Thank you, Matthew, for reading our small tribute to your father and for correcting this misinformation. I can’t remember where I read this–I thought it was in the New York Times. This misremembering is entirely my responsibility.
Please accept my sincerest sympathy for your tremendous loss. Your father’s astonishing work will be savored by millions of people for years to come. May you find comfort in the knowledge that he provided so much visual and intellectual delight to so many people, often and always.
Mathew,
I’m sure you must miss him tremendously. You are fortunate he left so much to remember him by. Your fathers drawings capture the exact essence of the figures he portrayed so wittily.
Thanks, Beth. Keep checking the blog, D. Levine Dot Commie, and the web site. The family is going to make sure our father’s work remains accessible to the public