The Wit and Wisdom of Saul Steinberg
The Wit and Wisdom of Saul Steinberg
August 5, 2026 – April 18, 2027
Location: Gallery 16
Saul Steinberg was one of the premier editorial cartoonists and illustrators working in America during the twentieth century. His humorous and often thought-provoking illustrations graced the covers and interior pages of The New Yorker, Harper’s Bazaar, Life, Time, and other popular publications for nearly 60 years. Yet to categorize Steinberg as merely a cartoonist minimizes his significance and his distinctive place in American art.
A native of Romania, Steinberg received a doctorate in architecture from the Royal Polytechnic Institute of Milan in 1940. He immigrated to the United States two years later, where he worked as a painter, sculptor, muralist, designer, and prolific draughtsman. During World War II, he served as a propaganda artist making anti-fascism drawings for the OSS (the precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency). Following the war, Steinberg became deeply immersed in the New York art scene dominated by Abstract Expressionism, and in 1944 he married Hedda Sterne, a painter active in the New York School. Steinberg’s own artworks, however, aligned more closely with the humor and absurdity of Dadaism.
With a deep knowledge of art history, literature, and popular culture, Steinberg created artworks that were readily accessible and yet often held deeper meaning. Poet Charles Simic called Steinberg a “comic philosopher.” Indeed, with biting wit, wry insights, and a strange cast of characters, Steinberg presented his observations on everything from American politics to urban living. As with the best examples of visual satire, Steinberg’s works are instantly relatable for they unerringly capture the complexity of human emotion and the irony of everyday experiences. Above all else, Steinberg offered the world his own penetrating insights into the human condition.
The works featured in this focus exhibition were donated to the Museum by the Saul Steinberg Foundation. Established by the artist in his will, the Foundation serves as a resource for curators, scholars, and members of the public to facilitate the study and appreciate of Saul Steinberg and his contributions to the history of art.
Exhibition Season Sponsors
Cary Brown and Steven E. Epstein
Susan Dabney Lavin and Allan Lavin
Todd P. Lowe and Fran C. Ratterman
Dr. Victoria Phillips and Travis Anderson
Fund for the Arts
Kentucky Arts Council