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Comic Strip As Art

from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. George Sturman
January 22 – February 22, 1968

 

Comic Strip As Art (image from show card), 1968
 
Carl Anderson (Henry) | Alfred Andriola ( Kerry Drake) | Gus Arriola (Gordo) | Walter Berndt (Smitty) | Bud Blake (Tiger) | Paul Bradford (Brick Bradford) | Martin M. Branner (Winnie Winkle) | Ernie Bushmiller (Fritzi Ritz and Nancy) | Roy Crane (Buzz Sawyer) | Rudolph Dirks (The Captain and The Kids) | Walt Disney (Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Pinocchio) | T.A. Dorgan (City Life) | Harold Doux (Judge Parker) | Gus Edson (The Gumps and Lieutenant Blaine) | Gus Edson and Irwin Hasen (Dondi) | Jack Elrod (Winky Ryatt) | Ken Ernst and Allen Saunders (Mary Worth) | Lee Falk and Sy Barry (The Phantom) | Lee Falk-Fredricks (Mandrake the MAgician) | Jules Feiffer ( Feiffer's Fables) | H.C. Fisher (Mutt and Jeff) | Ham Fisher - Tony DiPreta (Joe Palooka) | Roy Fox (Aggie) | Rube Goldberg (The Orange Sqeezin' Machine) | Chester Gould (Dick Tracy) | Harold Gray (Little Orphan Annie) | Harold Gray (Maw Green) | Carl Grubert (The Berry's ) | Harry Hanan (Louie) | Hanna-Barbera (Flintstones, Yogi Bera, and Mighty Heroes [Tornado Man and Strong Man]) | Pete Hanson (Lolly) | Johnny Hart (B.C.) | George Herriman (Krazy Kat) | Harry Herschfield (Abie the Agent) | Bill Holman (Smoky Stover) | Fred Johnson (Moon Mullins) | Bill Kavanagh and Frank Fletcher (Bringing Up Father) | Frank King (Gasoline Alley) | Sam Leff and Al McWilliams (Davy Jones) | Bob Lewis (Secret Agent #9) | Stan Lynde (Rick O'Shay) | Marge (Little Lulu) | Dale Messick (Brenda Starr) | Robin Moore - Joe Kuber (Tales of the Green Beret) | Dick Moores (Gasoline Alley) | Zack Mosley (Smilin' Jack) | Jimmy Murphy (Its Papa Who Pays and Toots and Casper) | Joe Musial (The Katzenjammer Kids) | Ben Oda (Flash Gordon) | F. Opper (And Her Name Was Maud and Happy Hooligan) | Joe Oriola (Felix the Cat) | Bill Perry (Gasoline Alley and Little Brother Hugo) | Irv Phillips (The Strange World of Mr. Mum) | John Prentice (Rip Kirby) | Mac RayBoy (Flash Gordon) | Bud Sagendorf (Popeye) | H. G. Saperstein (Mr. Magoo) | Charles Schulz (Peanuts) | Sixta (Rivets) | O. Soglow (The Little King) | Leonard Starr (On Stage) | Cliff Sterrett (Polly and Her Pals) | Fred Thomas (Long Shots) | R. Van Buren (Abbie an' Slats) | Bob Weber (Moose) | Russ Westover (Tillie the Toiler) | George Wunder (Terry and the Pirates)
 
This exhibition is comprised of 70 drawings from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. George L. Sturman, who have not previously loaned out their comic strip art, so this will be the first public viewing of many of these original drawings. The Sturman's believe this expression to be America's most popular art form, although it had its beginnings only around 50 years ago. "Its history, like America's is comparatively short, but exciting," George Sturman says.

"Entertainment and mass appeal are the goals of the comic strip artists. They must satisfy all walks of life, day in and day out, regardless of age," Sturman points out. We are all familiar with the family strips The Gumps, Moon Mullins, and Gasoline Alley, the adventure sagas such as Terry and the Pirates, Steve Canyon, and Dick Tracy, the Nonsense strips, adopted by intellectuals and relished by the masses, Krazy Kat, Happy Hooligan and Peanuts, the mechanical adventures of Rube Goldberg and the politically influential Feiffer's Fables.

Early works in the show are 1917 drawings by Cliff Sterrett for Polly and Her Pals, and by T.A. Dorgan for City Life. Also included are several 1930s pieces--George Harrimans's Krazy Kat, Harry Y. Hershfield's Abbie the Agent, Jimmy Murphy's It's Papa Who Pays and Toots and Casper, Russ Westover's 1939 Tillie the Toiler, and Gus Edson's 1944 The Gumps. Among other of the 46 artists represented are the cartoon master Walt Disney, Chicago's Chester Gould (Dick Tracy), Charles Schulz (PEanuts), Ernie Bushmilller (Fritzi and Nancy), Ben Oda (Flash Gordon), Sixta (Rivets), Joe Oriola (Felix the Cat), Roy Crane (Buzz Sawyer), and Bob Lewis (Secret Agent).


This text was originally published in the exhibition press release. There is no photographic documentation of this exhibition.

 

   
   
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