Al Hirschfeld Presents An Ode to Broadway’s Leading Ladies: Part II
Broadway’s greatest dames are the subject of TheaterMania’s second of three sneak previews of the New York Public Library’s new “Line King” exhibit, featuring the work of Broadway caricaturist Al Hirschfeld. Throughout the artist’s illustrious career, he sketched legendary leading ladies in some of their most career-defining roles.
Hirschfeld's wife, Louise, introduces this sneak peek with the following:
"I knew Al Hirschfeld for over thirty-five years before we married in 1996. I had the pleasure of meeting many of the women in these drawings, including several that were his friends. In his drawings, he gave incredible attention to details that would make every person come alive for his audience. Time, like anatomy and perspective, were rules he bent to create works that remain fresh and in the present. The artist has illuminated in these portraits his brilliance as psychic of the drawing board. When he first drew me, I was so nervous that I blushed! How lucky I was to become his third wife. Enjoy these works that come from his love affair with line, along with a few lines of my own."
Check out archivist David Leopold’s collection of drawings, featuring some of these Broadway powerhouses from Barbra Streisand in her breakout role as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl to Carol Channing in her feather-spouting Hello, Dolly! costume.
For more information about the exhibit, click here.
