Cartoon lovers crammed into the Chris Beetles gallery on Ryder Street yesterday for the opening of the new exhibition The Americans are coming, a survey of 100 years of political humour. The gallery had brought over from New York three legendary artists to add to the occasion, with Pat Oliphant, Arnold Roth and Edward Koren all in attendance. Oliphant, one of America’s great post-war political cartoonists, proved cartoonists can never stop working by creating a large wall sketch throughout the evening. The event was opened by exuberant Python cartoonist Terry Gilliam, who revealed that the three artists had been his heroes whilst growing up in New York.
The Americans are coming is the first exhibition in the UK to show Cartoon America in all its variety, from the wide-ranging satirical cartoons of the Reagan to Obama years, from the pens of Pat Oliphant and Kal, to the classic gag cartoons of The New Yorker from Peter Arno to Edward Koren and Ed Sorel.
There are also favourite characters and artists on display including Snoopy, Popeye and Disney characters Captain Hook and The Wicked Witch from Snow White.
Overall there are 300 original works from 30 artists, which show the breadth of the cartooning tradition in the US. Whilst the satirical works are rarely laugh out loud funny they comment on political life and provide a critical opposition to the country’s leaders. The show also includes several of Al Hirschfeld’s long running series of theatrical caricatures. He started his successful artistic reign when spotted sketching on a programme by a producer. On such serendipitous moments are careers built.
5 – 30 May 2015
8 & 10 Ryder Street
St James’s
London
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