Oscar Berger (cartoonist)
Oscar Berger | |
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Caricaturist | |
Notable work |
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Oscar Berger (May 12, 1901 – May 15, 1997) was a well-known
Biography and career
Oscar Berger was born on May 12, 1901 in
When Hitler rose to power in 1932, Berger was faced with a difficult decision, since many of his drawings of Hitler ridiculed him. He decided that leaving Germany would be his best option before any repercussions could occur. He then returned to Prague, and also lived in Budapest, Vienna, Paris, London, depending on where his work took him.[2] In 1940, he was living in London during The Blitz, and he had the opportunity to sketch Winston Churchill as he was talking with cabinet members in a corridor of the House of Commons.[7] Berger later recalled: "The raid was heavy; hundreds of bombers came over in waves. As the ancient buildings shook under the impact of bursting bombs, I saw Churchill's heavy jowl set with determination. I trembled as I sketched. Churchill never winced, but seemed to gather new strength as he spoke".[7] Berger remained in England throughout the war years working for the The Evening News, the Sunday Dispatch and The Daily Telegraph.[7] After the war ended, he came to San Francisco in 1945 to cover the League of Nations conference for The New York Times. He drew multiple world leaders in attendance at the conference, including Andrei Gromyko and Carlos P. Romulo.[2][8] By 1945, he had moved to New York City, and in 1955, he officially became a U.S. citizen.[2] In 1985, he observed how publications were always writing about Gromyko's "dour" smile, Berger said when he first met him in San Francisco at the conference, "he had a full smile ... maybe his life, his adventures in 40 years of political storms, have changed that".[8]
Subjects
Bergen was known for taking a minimalist approach when drawing his subjects, just bringing a sketch block and a few pencils.
External image via The Press of Atlantic City | |
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Caricatures of Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon[b] | |
Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon |
The U.S. presidents who sat for him are:
Berger also had 10 U.S. Supreme Court justices sit for him, which he donated to the Smithsonian Institution National Portrait Gallery.[9] Those he sketched include: Felix Frankfurter,[10] Abe Fortas,[11] Potter Stewart,[12] Earl Warren,[13] Thurgood Marshall,[14] John Marshall Harlan,[15] Byron White,[16] William J. Brennan Jr.,[17] William O. Douglas[18] and Hugo Black.[19]
Berger sketched many notable individuals from the fields of literature, poetry, acting and sports, including:
Selected works
His work appeared in
In 1933, he authored and illustrated his first book titled "Tip and Tap" (The Two Scotsmen}, published by Rudolf Mosse Buchverlag.[4] Other books he authored and illustrated include: Aesop's Foibles,[5] À la Carte: The Gourmet's Phantasmagoria in Fifty Cartoons,[27] Famous Faces: Caricaturist's Scrapbook,[1] My Victims: How to Caricature,[1] I Love You,[1] and The Presidents, From George Washington to the Present.[28]
Personal life
Berger married Aran (Anne) Varga, from Kispest, Hungary. They resided in Central Park South in Manhattan.[29]
See also
Notes
References
- ^ OCLC 1479320.
- ^ a b c d e f Kent, Norman (May 1959). "Oscar Berger, Caricaturist Of World Celebrities". American Artist. Vol. 23, no. 5. pp. 28–33, 69–73.
- ^ Press of Atlantic City. Atlantic City, New Jersey. p. 12.
- ^ a b c d e f Vaughan, Mack D. (June 1949). The Caricatures of Oscar Berger and David Low (Master of Arts thesis). Denton, Texas: North Texas State Teachers College.
- ^ a b Lask, Thomas (December 14, 1947). "As Two Of Our Cartoonists See Us". The New York Times. p. BR24.
- ^ "Art Events Here In Town". The New York Times. August 19, 1928. p. 101.
- ^ a b c Bryant, Mark (March 2009). "Sterling Czechs". Cartoon Times. History Today. Vol. 59, no. 3. pp. 40–42.
- ^ a b c d Dunlap, David W.; Heller-Anderson, Susan (July 4, 1985). "Gromyko Used to Smile". The New York Times. p. B3.
- ^ "Oscar Berger". National Portrait Gallery. Archived from the original on February 22, 2024.
- ^ "Felix Frankfurter". National Portrait Gallery. NPG.69.10.
- ^ "Abe Fortas". National Portrait Gallery. NPG.69.16.
- ^ "Potter Stewart". National Portrait Gallery. NPG.69.12.
- ^ "Earl Warren". National Portrait Gallery. NPG.69.9.
- ^ "Thurgood Marshall". National Portrait Gallery. NPG.69.18.
- ^ "John Marshall Harlan". National Portrait Gallery. NPG.69.15.
- ^ "Byron Raymond White". National Portrait Gallery. S/NPG.69.46.
- ^ "William Joseph Brennan". National Portrait Gallery. NPG.69.17.
- ^ "William Orville Douglas". National Portrait Gallery. NPG.69.13.
- ^ "Hugo La Fayette Black". National Portrait Gallery. NPG.69.11.
- ^ a b Heller, Steven (September 7, 2020). "The Daily Heller: When Artists are Forgotten". Print Magazine.
- ^ Brown, Irene C. (August 16, 1959). "Top Caricaturist Oscar Berger Vacations Here With Pen In Hand". Press of Atlantic City. p. 12.
- ^ Norment, John (January 1960). "Cartoonist". Writer's Digest. Vol. 40, no. 1. pp. 56–58.
- ^ "Recipes for Notables (Add a Grain of Salt)". The New York Times. June 8, 1947. p. SM22.
- ^ "Hitler and Chaplin at 54: The man who made the world laugh". The New York Times. April 18, 1943. p. SM17.
- ^ "Hollywood Sketch Book". The New York Times. September 23, 1945. p. 109.
- ^ "A Short History of Arturo Toscanini". The New York Times. March 28, 1943. p. SM22.
- ^ "À la Carte: the Gourmet's Phantasmagoria". Smithsonian Libraries and Archives. Natural History Building, Washington DC.
- ^ The Presidents from George Washington to The Present, Drawn in One Line (1st ed.). New York: Crown. 1968.
- ^ "Oscar Berger cartoonist". Ben Uri Research Unit.
Further reading
- Heller, Steven (October 1952). "Painting and Drawing: The Victims of Oscar Berger, Caricaturist". Design. 54 (1): 12–13. .