Hirschfeld's Sondheim: A Poster Book, David Leopold's new book celebrating theatre caricaturist Al Hirschfeld's portraits of Stephen Sondheim shows, will be available September 9. Get an exclusive look at the cover below.
A self-described 鈥渃haracterist,鈥� Hirschfeld's signature work, defined by a linear calligraphic style, appeared in major publications of the last nine decades, as well as numerous book and record covers, and 15 postage stamps. Among Hirschfeld's accolades are two Special Tony Awards and the Medal of Arts from the National Endowment of the Arts.
The first volume in a series of deluxe Hirschfeld poster books, Hirschfeld鈥檚 Sondheim contains 25 posters of his art drawn from life before the opening night of each of Sondheim鈥檚 productions. Hirschfeld drew his first Sondheim show in 1957鈥�West Side Story. Since then, Hirschfeld captured almost all of Sondheim鈥檚 Broadway shows鈥攆rom Sweeney Todd to Sunday in the Park with George鈥�and several films featuring the composer鈥檚 songs and scripts. Sondheim was a Hirschfeld collector, acquiring drawings directly from the artist and through his friends and collaborators like Hal Prince.
On the reverse side, Hirschfeld's Sondheim also features rare archival images, as well as an introduction by Bernadette Peters, an essay by Ben Brantley, and text by Leopold, Hirschfeld鈥檚 archivist and creative director of the nonprofit Al Hirschfeld Foundation.
Leopold is an author and curator based in New York City who has organized exhibitions for institutions worldwide including the Library of Congress, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, among others. His books on Hirschfeld include The Hirschfeld Century: A Portrait of the Artist and His Age (2015) and The American Theatre as Seen by Hirschfeld 1962鈥�2002. Leopold also organized online Hirschfeld exhibitions during the pandemic, and co-hosts the Hirschfeld Century Podcast.
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