STEINBERG, SAUL. (1914-1999). Romanian-American artist best known for his illustrations in The New Yorker magazine. TLS. (“Saul Steinberg”). 1p. Small 4to. New York, August 11, 1958. On The New Yorker letterhead to influential French art publisher, curator and designer ROBERT DELPIRE (1926-2017).

“I sent you a cable the other day because my German agent here had instructions from Rowohlt to insist on acquiring the German rights for my book. It is a problem of faithfulness and prestige. I hope this is all right with you. It certainly is my preference.

I have no idea of the sort of layout or size you intend and I am very curious to see your dummy.

I have doubts that the book will look good in a very large size. I am more inclined toward the smaller size on which the overall picture would be shown in a reduced scale with close-ups of details (like heads) blown up to full page size. I will be able to write a description of the mural only when I have the dummy.

I will try also to obtain some general views of the murals from Life magazine. The Brussels murals seem to have been reproduced around. I saw recently the magazine called Magnum which has a pretty good reproduction on the cover and I hear that Domus came out with some spreads. My favorite picture, as far as scale, came out in Harper’s Bazaar. I enclose it [not present]...”

While studying architecture in Italy, Steinberg began his career as a cartoonist, contributing to European publications and publishing his first New Yorker drawing in 1941 while waiting for a visa to enter the U.S. His subsequent contributions to The New Yorker included hundreds of drawings, 85 covers executed in an unmistakable style that has since become synonymous with the publication. Although Steinberg is best known for his magazine illustration and his nearly 60-year association with The New Yorker, he worked in a variety of media, including collage and murals.

In 1957, Steinberg was invited to create a mural in the American Pavilion for the 1958 Brussels Expo – the first world’s fair since 1937. His montage, entitled The Americans, used “brown-paper cutouts, wallpaper fragments, handmade paper, newspaper comics, and other pieces in various shapes and hues, [to create] a stunning, inventive panorama of America, from small-town Main Street to big-city cocktail party. Brimming with visual puns, semi-abstractions, distorted figures, and modernist white space, The Americans represented Steinberg’s effort at cultural diplomacy,” (“America, the Great Colossal Collage: Saul Steinberg’s Forgotten Masterpiece,” Artnews.com, Cembalest). Although the pavilion itself was lauded by critics, Steinberg’s “nuanced sensibility didn’t mesh with the populist idea of great American art at that moment, and the mural didn’t make much of a splash. Some reviewers took potshots at The Americans; most ignored it completely… Steinberg’s art was left out of the Official United States Guidebook,” (ibid.).

However, the mural undoubtedly contributed to Robert Delpire’s decision to commission a Steinberg illustration for the cover of Robert Frank’s seminal photography book Les Americains, published in France in 1958. The American edition, which appeared the following year, did not include Steinberg’s artwork.

Our letter regards Delpire’s plan to publish Steinberg’s Brussels murals in book form, though he never did. Also mentioned are the German publishing house Rowohlt Verlag and Life, Magnum, Domus, and Harper’s Bazaar magazines.

Folded and in very good condition; uncommon.

*Image of Steinberg sketch is for illustration purposes only and is not included with this lot.*