Above: Detail

Above: The artist’s signature lower right

Above: Framed and matted behind glass in simple black lacquered frame

A brilliantly rendered pen & ink illustration by the legendary New York City illustrator Al Hirschfeld. In this tightly rendered “two worlds collide” image in which by the Russian populist poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko embraced by America as represented by cultural icon Bob Hope. The scene offers a lighter look at the Cold War tensions that occurred as politically active Soviet poets gained prominence in the US. The de rigeur hidden Nina’s appear three times in the piece, though we will leave it to the viewer to locate them. Nina, for those new to Hirshfeld’s work, is the name of the artist’s daughter, and it became tradition to embed the word throughout his caricatures, marking the number of appearances with a small number next to his signature. Work is framed and matted behind glass in a simple 1970s – 80s black lacquered wood frame.

Above: Detail of Yevgeny Yevtushenko

Above: Detail of Bob Hope

Above: Detail