A photostat of an obscure cartoon by the great Anatol Kovarsky turned up on eBay this year. I ran it by the artist's daughter, who offered her comments:
Note: I am grateful to Anatol Kovarsky's daughter for her insightful comments.
"Kovarsky's World: Covers and Cartoons from The New Yorker" is now on view at the Society of Illustrators in Manhattan through March 3, 2018. The show is co-curated by John Lind and Gina Kovarsky with an appreciation by the one and only Mo Willems. There will be an opening reception tomorrow, January 12, from 6:30 to 10:00 p.m. I'm sure many highly-regarded cartoonists will be there along with at least one notorious blogger who shall here remain unnamed.
Michael Maslin's blog Ink Spill is dedicated to news about New Yorker cartoonists. In recent weeks he has featured a veritable treasure trove of Kovarsky's unpublished work. Take it all in here.
To that, add more unpublished Kovarsky work on Mike Lynch Cartoons, another fine cartoon blog published by another fine cartoonist whose name slips my mind at the moment. You can see the work here.
Surely at least some or possibly most of Kovarsky's work has been dispersed to the winds and is sitting happily in private collections around the globe. So carefully check out the frames hanging on the walls wherever you go. If you should happen to spot original artwork of his, you might want to send me an image or two for use on the blog. Nobody needs to know about it but us.
One more thing: if anyone can provide me with this obscure, photostatted drawing's publication history, I'd be deeply indebted. But not financially.
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I would date the cute cartoon of the photographer capturing the showgirl's attention with bling (the stat of which is attached in your email) as between 1947 and 1951. I'd never seen it before. The drawing retains some of dad's early more "grotesque" style particularly in the way the woman is depicted. The theme fits with other cartoons and cartoon sketches dad did when a photographer has devised a way to keep the subject engaged. I don’t think this one appeared in The New Yorker, unless it fell through the cracks when the magazine compiled its record. It could have been published elsewhere. My father contributed to other publications as well, including Collier's, Life, Look, Playboy, Sports Illustrated, and The Herald Tribune.
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| Anatol Kovarsky, Showgirl and Photographer, c. 1947-1951 |
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| Anatol Kovarsky's photostatted signature |
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| Anatol Kovarsky eBay Listing as of February 20, 2017 |
A different eBay listing from a different seller refers to this same cartoon as a "press photo" and dates it to 1948. This date is within the range estimated by the artist's daughter and, if correct, would mean the drawing is more likely from the earlier part of the four-year range she gave. The eBay image is a scan rather than a photo:
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| Anatol Kovarsky, Showgirl and Photographer, c. 1947-1951 |
Note: I am grateful to Anatol Kovarsky's daughter for her insightful comments.
"Kovarsky's World: Covers and Cartoons from The New Yorker" is now on view at the Society of Illustrators in Manhattan through March 3, 2018. The show is co-curated by John Lind and Gina Kovarsky with an appreciation by the one and only Mo Willems. There will be an opening reception tomorrow, January 12, from 6:30 to 10:00 p.m. I'm sure many highly-regarded cartoonists will be there along with at least one notorious blogger who shall here remain unnamed.
Michael Maslin's blog Ink Spill is dedicated to news about New Yorker cartoonists. In recent weeks he has featured a veritable treasure trove of Kovarsky's unpublished work. Take it all in here.
To that, add more unpublished Kovarsky work on Mike Lynch Cartoons, another fine cartoon blog published by another fine cartoonist whose name slips my mind at the moment. You can see the work here.
Surely at least some or possibly most of Kovarsky's work has been dispersed to the winds and is sitting happily in private collections around the globe. So carefully check out the frames hanging on the walls wherever you go. If you should happen to spot original artwork of his, you might want to send me an image or two for use on the blog. Nobody needs to know about it but us.
One more thing: if anyone can provide me with this obscure, photostatted drawing's publication history, I'd be deeply indebted. But not financially.
Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives
Anatol Kovarsky
Attempted Bloggery's Overexposed Index
Attempted Bloggery supports net neutrality.
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