Growing up in New Haven, Connecticut, in the 90s and early 2000s, one of my favorite places downtown was a small arthouse movie theater called York Square Cinema. Of course, I enjoyed the thrill of getting popcorn and seeing Bend it Like Beckham and Drumline at the theater. But my all-time favorite part about York Square Cinema was that it featured a large mural of celebrity Al Hirschfeld illustrations on one of its interior walls. The memories of this wall are hazy, to be candid, and sadly, York Square Cinema shuttered its doors in 2005. Still, I recall my mother telling me about the artist behind these wonderful illustrations of celebrity caricatures and daring me to spot all of the “Ninas” he’d hidden within their lapels and hemlines.
Ever since, I’ve had an appreciation for Hirschfeld and an affinity for his artistic style. The energy, emotion, and humor he elicits from a thin black line on a white background feels like a relic of a bygone cartoon era, and the figures he drew will forever have the honor of being interpreted and preserved through his unique lens.
Peter Pan, ink on board, 1954
The Al Hirschfeld Foundation is doing its part to keep Hirschfeld’s legacy alive by presenting an online archive of his work and curating virtual exhibitions. In celebration of Pride this past month, for example, they released the “Hirschfeld’s Drag Show,” an online catalog curated by author, playwright, and drag legend in his own right, Charles Busch. On view through their website until August 15, “Hirschfeld’s Drag Show” presents a collection of the greatest drag performances of stage and screen as seen through Hirschfeld’s eyes and, most importantly, his pen.
Busch’s commentary accompanies each of the illustrations featured in the exhibition, which includes depictions of scenes from Broadway and Off-Broadway theater, as well as film. Noteworthy titles include Hairspray, Some Like It Hot, Victor/Victoria, Charlie’s Aunt, Tootsie, and Peter Pan, along with artists such as Julie Andrews, Mary Martin, Harvey Fierstein, Charles Ludlam, José Ferrer, Katharine Hepburn, Raquel Welch, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, Dustin Hoffman, BD Wong, Tony Roberts, and Robert Morse.
Some Like it Hot, ink on board, 1959
“Through Hirschfeld’s remarkable catalog, we’re able to chart the ways cross-dressing has been used as a theatrical tool over the past century,” says Busch via the Al Hirschfeld Foundation. “At first, it was often the only way closeted LGBT artists were able to express their voices. At other times, drag has been employed as a plot device, allowing society to articulate in a light-hearted manner its fear of the ‘other.’ In more recent decades, openly gay artists have taken drag into new realms, both dramatic and comic. With this collection of drawings, we chart the history of performers and shows that have used drag in a variety of creative strategies. Hirschfeld’s great gift in portraying the joy of theatrical self-expression gives all of these drawings a humanity along with their outrageous flamboyance.”
I can’t think of a subject better suited for Hirschfeld’s caricature style than drag performers, and this online exhibition is certainly proof of that! Enjoy it here.