Hirschfeld's Hollywood: The Film Art of Al Hirschfeld
The delightfully clever illustrations in these companion books  span 80 years of productivity by the still-active 98-year-old  artist Hirschfeld. The dual publications coincide with dual  exhibitions: one at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and  Sciences in Hollywood and one at the Museum of the City of New  York. Most people identify Hirschfeld with his lively  black-and-white line caricatures of famous people and events in  the entertainment industry, as reproduced in magazines and  newspapers like the New York Times. Both books include examples  of these caricatures but also discuss and display Hirschfeld's  many other contributions to 20th-century American popular  culture, and both also include photographs and self-portraits of  the artist himself. A New York City resident for most of his  life, Hirschfeld also became associated with Hollywood after  1920, when he started doing publicity art for movie studios then  based in New York, such as Selznick, Warner, and MGM. In  Hirschfeld's Hollywood, Hirschfeld's own archivist, David  Leopold, showcases over 100 examples of his colorful poster and  advertising work for movies through the decades. For  Hirschfeld's New York, exhibit curator Bell also has selected  over 100 examples, portraying the Broadway theater and other  aspects of New York's night life and daily life. Both books  contain works that are not well known as well as old favorites.  As represented here, the sheer chronological span of one  perceptive artist's interpretive work should appeal to a wide  audience. While either book is highly recommended on its own, a  joint purchase of these complementary books is suggested for  both academic and public libraries. Anne Marie Lane, Univ. of  Wyoming, LaramieCopyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.