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Saul Steinberg Masquerade
Highlighting the photographer's unique collection of "paper bag" images from the 1950s and 1960s, this series of individual and group portraits recaptures the whimsy and humor of this period in photography. 17,500 first printing.
- GenresArtPhotography
80 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
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41 people want to read
About the author
Inge Morath
37 books4 followersInge Morath was born in Graz, Austria, in 1923. After studying languages in Berlin, she became a translator, then a journalist and the Austrian editor for Heute, an Information Service Branch publication based in Munich. All her life Morath would remain a prolific diarist and letter-writer, retaining a dual gift for words and pictures that made her unusual among her colleagues.
A friend of photographer Ernst Haas, she wrote articles to accompany his photographs and was invited by Robert Capa and Haas to Paris to join the newly founded Magnum agency as an editor and researcher. She began photographing in London in 1951, and joined Magnum Photos as a photographer in 1953. While working on her own first assignments, Morath also assisted Henri Cartier-Bresson during 1953-54, becoming a full member in 1955.
In the following years, Morath traveled extensively in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Her special interest in the arts found expression in photographic essays published by a number of leading magazines. After her marriage to playwright Arthur Miller in 1962, Morath settled in New York and Connecticut. She first visited the USSR in 1965. In 1972 she studied Mandarin and obtained a visa to China, making the first of many trips to the country in 1978.
Morath was at ease anywhere. Some of her most important work consists of portraits, but of passers-by as well as celebrities. She was also adept at photographing places: her pictures of Boris Pasternak's home, Pushkin's library, Chekhov's house, Mao Zedong's bedroom, artists' studios and cemetery memorials are permeated with the spirit of invisible people still present. Inge Morath died in New York City on 30 January 2002.
A friend of photographer Ernst Haas, she wrote articles to accompany his photographs and was invited by Robert Capa and Haas to Paris to join the newly founded Magnum agency as an editor and researcher. She began photographing in London in 1951, and joined Magnum Photos as a photographer in 1953. While working on her own first assignments, Morath also assisted Henri Cartier-Bresson during 1953-54, becoming a full member in 1955.
In the following years, Morath traveled extensively in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Her special interest in the arts found expression in photographic essays published by a number of leading magazines. After her marriage to playwright Arthur Miller in 1962, Morath settled in New York and Connecticut. She first visited the USSR in 1965. In 1972 she studied Mandarin and obtained a visa to China, making the first of many trips to the country in 1978.
Morath was at ease anywhere. Some of her most important work consists of portraits, but of passers-by as well as celebrities. She was also adept at photographing places: her pictures of Boris Pasternak's home, Pushkin's library, Chekhov's house, Mao Zedong's bedroom, artists' studios and cemetery memorials are permeated with the spirit of invisible people still present. Inge Morath died in New York City on 30 January 2002.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 21, 2020
I have had a Steinberg poster hanging in our dining room for several decades. I have seen many people smile as they look it over. Not all the great artists need to make us ponder or feel their pain.
Steinberg died in 1999. Forty years earlier he conceived of using grocery store brown Kraft paper bags as the medium for portraits. This book is an attempt to “collect” most of what he created, and the photographs of them were done by Inge Moranth who also provides an introduction.
Steinberg is a deft artist, capable of some very detailed work. However, for this project which is almost all boldly drawn, he works with headshots of friends as well as self-portraits. Each of the subjects is caricatured in a way to bring out their personality. Often, this includes them in their “element” be that a car, a garden , etc. There is no commentary, aside from the introduction.
This collection is simple, straightforward and brilliant. Though some of the “scenes” may be dated, they convey joy and invite further study. The experience is well-worth the time invested.
Steinberg died in 1999. Forty years earlier he conceived of using grocery store brown Kraft paper bags as the medium for portraits. This book is an attempt to “collect” most of what he created, and the photographs of them were done by Inge Moranth who also provides an introduction.
Steinberg is a deft artist, capable of some very detailed work. However, for this project which is almost all boldly drawn, he works with headshots of friends as well as self-portraits. Each of the subjects is caricatured in a way to bring out their personality. Often, this includes them in their “element” be that a car, a garden , etc. There is no commentary, aside from the introduction.
This collection is simple, straightforward and brilliant. Though some of the “scenes” may be dated, they convey joy and invite further study. The experience is well-worth the time invested.
May 29, 2023
Loved this very interesting art book
November 24, 2025
Intriguant et inspirant. Aurait souhaité plus d'explications.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews