Exhibitions
Saul Steinberg and the art of drawing thought
This summer, the José Guerrero Center in Granada is hosting one of the most outstanding exhibitions of the cultural season in Spain. Until September 6th, the exhibition "Saul Steinberg, Artist" offers a comprehensive overview of the work of one of the most unique and influential creators in contemporary art, whose vision forever transformed the relationship between drawing, thought, and imagination.
The exhibition invites visitors to delve into the universe of an unclassifiable artist who made drawing much more than an artistic discipline. For Steinberg, the line was a tool for observation, a way to question reality, and a means to explore the contradictions of the modern world. It is no coincidence that he defined himself as "a writer who draws," a statement that encapsulates the conceptual depth of a body of work capable of combining humor, critique, irony, and philosophical reflection.
Born in Râmnicu Sărat, Romania, in 1914 and died in New York in 1999, Saul Steinberg's career was marked by the major historical events of the 20th century. Forced to leave Europe due to anti-Semitic laws, he found a new creative home in the United States. There he began a long collaboration with The New Yorker magazine, a professional relationship that lasted for decades and made his images part of the American cultural landscape. His covers and drawings not only achieved enormous popularity but also contributed to questioning the habits, conventions, and ways of thinking of an entire society.
Saul Steinberg. Dorothy K., 1987. Juan March Foundation Collection, Madrid. Gift of The Saul Steinberg Foundation, New York © The Saul Steinberg Foundation / VEGAP, Madrid, 2025. Photograph: Fernando Ramajo.
The retrospective brings together a wide selection of works that allow visitors to discover all facets of his production. Drawings, paintings, collages, prints, photographs, artist's books, magazines, documents, and three-dimensional pieces engage in a dialogue that reveals Steinberg's extraordinary ability to move between disciplines without accepting creative boundaries. Each of these forms of expression shares a common visual language, as personal as it is recognizable, capable of transforming the everyday into an experience brimming with meaning.
The exhibition comes from the collection of the Juan March Foundation, an institution that received a significant donation of over one hundred works from the Saul Steinberg Foundation. This collaboration is part of the international outreach efforts that the foundation dedicated to the artist has been promoting for years to bring his legacy to new generations of viewers.
Saul Steinberg, Tunis [Tunisia], 1990, Juan March Foundation Collection, Madrid. Gift of The Saul Steinberg Foundation, New York © The Saul Steinberg Foundation / VEGAP, Madrid, 2025. Photograph: Fernando Ramajo.
The exhibition presented in Granada adapts the first major retrospective dedicated to Steinberg in Spain and organizes its narrative into several thematic chapters. Issues such as identity, representation, urban life, and the relationship between the work and the viewer articulate a proposal that allows one to understand the richness and enduring relevance of his visual thought.
Decades after their creation, Saul Steinberg's images continue to resonate with viewers with surprising relevance. His ability to observe the world with critical intelligence, humor, and freedom makes this exhibition an exceptional opportunity to discover an artist who transformed drawing into a form of knowledge and art into a constant invitation to reflect.
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