George Price: You Are Silent

An original 1966 New Yorker drawing by George Price depicts an older couple at an outdoor art show, probably the Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibition in lower Manhattan. They aren't saying anything as they survey some modernist paintings on display. The artist seated by his work has been listening to the public comment all day and he already knows, or thinks he knows, why they are refraining from criticism of his art. This cartoon had a lot to say about the public's perception of the contemporary art scene, and the message still resonates today.

"You are silent. Am I to assume that you do not have a child who can do every bit as well?"
George Price
Original art
The New Yorker, June 4, 1966, p. 31.
The New Yorker Album of Art & Artists. Greenwich: New York Graphic Society Ltd., 1970.
Melly, George and Glaves-Smith, J. R. A Child of Six Could Do It!: Cartoons About Modern Art. London: Tate Gallery Publications, 1973, p. 62.

The couple's heads turn to face the artist who is addressing them, but their bodies are still oriented toward the paintings they were regarding. Price is directing our attention to the speaker, but he is also showing us what was going on just before he began. This is consummate cartoon craftsmanship.

Detail of the potential art patrons

The artist's Bohemian attire and grooming contrast with the conservatively dressed and groomed couple. It's a small detail, but a similar purpose is served by the artist's cigarette.

Detail of the artist

How many cartoonists would render a street grating so precisely? Price carefully maintains the perspective of the scene down to the lower border of the composition. The parallel bars of the grating lead our eyes back to the artist and his avant-garde work.

Caption

George Price's signature

Verso

Verso

The drawing was offered at auction on Sunday in Costa Mesa with a presale estimate of $1,000 to $1,500. Ten hours prior to the sale, online bidding had reached $575.

George Price
Michael's Gallery listing accessed July 9, 2023 ten hours prior to the sale

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/156530628_george-price-you-are-silent-am-i-to-assume-that-you-do-not-have-a-child-who-can-do-every-bit

George Price
Michael's Gallery item description

July 9, 2023, ten hours before the sale

Sold!

"You are silent. Am I to assume that you do not have a child who can do every bit as well?"
George Price
The New Yorker, June 4, 1966, p. 31.

"You are silent. Am I to assume that you do not have a child who can do every bit as well?"
George Price
Original art
The New Yorker, June 4, 1966, p. 31.
The New Yorker Album of Art & Artists. Greenwich: New York Graphic Society Ltd., 1970.
Melly, George and Glaves-Smith, J. R. A Child of Six Could Do It!: Cartoons About Modern Art. London: Tate Gallery Publications, 1973, p. 62.

Drawings by William Steig and George Price

https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1966-06-04/flipbook/030/

Meanwhile, William Steig's drawings for the magazine were already going in a more lyrical direction.

William Steig
The New Yorker, June 4, 1966

Note:  I'm curious whether George Price's original art was actually exhibited at the Tate Gallery's May 23 to July 8, 1973 exhibition A Child of Six Could Do It!: Cartoons About Modern Art. It seems quite likely, no? This work might even have influenced the title of the exhibition. Can anyone confirm this?

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