From Publishers Weekly
British satirist Scarfe is a master of the caricaturist's art of breaking down a subject's physical elements and rebuilding them in a stylized manner to portray the subject with a slant. Chronicling his long and storied career, this volume confirms that no person or subject, from 1960s icons like the Beatles right up through Eminem and George W. Bush, is off limits to Scarfe's shockingly revealing distortions. Grotesquely exaggerated (especially when depicting the sex organs), Scarfe's drawing style at first brings to mind the tripped-out work of Ralph Steadman, but Scarfe's keen eye for detail, his fidelity to each subject and his unique sense of overcrowded space set him distinctly apart. Scarfe follows a chronological path through his varied involvement in the political realm, stage production, film and rock and roll (most notably in collaboration with Pink Floyd on
The Wall), working both on paper and in papier-mâché. Short critical texts, newspaper clippings and contemporary ephemera round out Scarfe's personae, and his running commentary provides insight into specific drawings and events. This much-deserved retrospective presents a panoramic view of the career of a popular artist who has helped shape how we see an overwhelming and often unkind age.
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Library Journal
“his commentaries on the political actors, events, and controversies through which he lived will inform and amuse the reader.”
Book Description
Gerald Scarfe—political cartoonist for the London
SUNDAY TIMES for more than 35 years and contributor to
THE NEW YORKER for the past decade—is one of the most revered illustrators and cultural commentators of our time. This volume collects the highlights of his work over the last 45 years.
Artist, stage designer, political cartoonist, and satirist, Gerald Scarfe has given us some of the most famous and controversial images of the 20th century. During a prolific career that spans more than four decades, he has worked with an eclectic mix of English and American icons: from Pink Floyd to Disney, PRIVATE EYE to TIME, THE SUNDAY TIMES to THE NEW YORKER. This, the first collected volume of his work in more than 20 years, showcases the works that have established him as one of our foremost cultural commentators. From the whiplash satire of his political cartoons to his harrowing portraits of the Vietnam War, and from his spectacular set designs to his many contributions to films, this spectacular visual memoir offers an astute and irreverent view of the personalities and events that have shaped modern times.
About the author
Gerald Scarfe’s work has been exhibited at the Tate Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.
