Self-Portrait in Profile
c.1986/1995
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
black felt-tip pen on wove paper in spiral-bound sketchbook
Dimensions
sheet: 35.56 × 27.94 cm (14 × 11 in.) book: 35.56 × 27.94 × 1.27 cm (14 × 11 × 1/2 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of The Saul Steinberg Foundation
Accession Number
2016.143.35.13
Art Historical Context
Saul Steinberg's *Self-Portrait in Profile (c. 1986/1995) offers an intimate glimpse into the mind of one of the 20th century's most draftsmen. Born in Romania and a longtime New Yorker contributor, Steinberg was celebrated for his witty, surreal illustrations that blurred the lines between reality and fantasy—think iconic covers featuring exaggerated perspectives and playful geometries. This late-career work, rendered in profile, captures his signature economy of line, distilling the artist's sharp features and introspective gaze into a deceptively simple form. Executed in black felt-tip pen...
About the Artist
Saul Steinberg
Saul Steinberg, born in 1914 in Râmnicu Sărat, Romania, to a family of Russian Jewish descent, navigated a peripatetic early career shaped by geopolitical upheaval and intellectual curiosity. After a brief stint at the University of Bucharest, he enrolled in 1933 at the Polytechnic University of Milan, earning a degree in architecture in 1940. There, he honed his graphic skills contributing satiri...