Albert Hirschfeld

(1903-2003)

Thieves 26 3/4 x 20in (68 x 50.8cm)

Footnotes

Provenance
The artist.
The Margo Feiden Galleries Ltd., New York.
Acquired by the present owner from the above, circa 1974-76.

Literature
M. Thomas, Growing Up Laughing: My Story and the Story of Funny, New York, 2010, p. 212, illustrated.

Albert Hirschfeld was a self-proclaimed caricaturist and one of the greatest American illustrators working during the 20th century. His drawings, defined by his signature linear calligraphic style, have appeared in almost every major publication in America as well as in books, on record covers, and on fifteen editions of United States postal stamps. Hirschfeld is best known for his portraits of celebrities, film stars, and Broadway stars. The present work depicts the cast of the 1974 Broadway production of Thieves written by Herb Gardner (1934-2003) starring Richard Mulligan (1932-2000) in the role of Martin Cramer and Marlo Thomas (born 1937) in the role of Sally Cramer. Hirschfeld places his caricatures of Mulligan and Thomas as their characters at the forefront of the piece, both highlighting and exaggerating their identifiable physical features. Depicted behind them are actors Irwin Corey (1914-2017) wearing his glasses, Heywood Nelson (born 1960) running with the lamp, Sudie Bond (1928-1984) in her large brimmed hat, William Hickey (1927-1997) with his arm around David Spielberg (1939-2016) sitting on the bench, Sammy Smith (1904-1997) the Door Man, and Pierre Epstein (born 1930) and Ann Wedgeworth (1934-2017) in the balconies.

In addition to his unique style and crisp caricatures, Hirschfeld is best known for hiding his daughter's name Nina throughout his drawings, a practice that he began after her birth in 1945. He usually writes her name in capital letters and often does so discreetly in a sleeve, a hairdo, or somewhere in the background. The number of times her name is concealed in any given drawing is revealed by the number written next to his signature. In the present work, Hirschfeld has indicated that "NINA" appears three times. If the viewer looks closely, her name can be found on the pillow that Thomas rests her arm on, on Hickey's coat directly above Thomas, and in Mulligan's hair.