Harvey Kurtzman Retrospective Coming To New York

Book publisher Denis Kitchen forwarded exciting news this morning: “The Art of Harvey Kurtzman”, a comprehensive retrospective of MAD creator Harvey Kurtzman, will open in New York City next month. The show will take place at the Society of Illustrators (128 East 63rd St., NY, NY).

Kurtzman’s influence in the animation sphere is well known, and especially strong in the work of Spumco principals like John Kricfalusi and Bill Wray. Another Spumco vet, Vincent Waller, even directed a short based on Kurtzman’s comic Hey Look!:

Here are details about the show, which opens on March 8th:

The Museum of American Illustration at the Society of Illustrators is proud to present “The Art of Harvey Kurtzman,” a diverse exhibition spanning the career of the man who created MAD and who had a broad and profound influence on American popular culture. This eight-week exhibit showcasing over 120 works will be on display March 8th through May 11th in the museum’s two-floor gallery in New York City’s Upper East Side.

Co-curators Monte Beauchamp (founder, editor, and designer of the comic art/illustration anthologies Blab! and Blabworld), and publisher/cartoonist Denis Kitchen (co-author of The Art of Harvey Kurtzman and representative of the estate) have assembled the most comprehensive assemblage of Kurtzman art to date, culled from select private and family collections. Highlights include: Kurtzman life drawings from 1941; rarely-seen late ’40s strips done for the New York Herald-Tribune and well as for Marvel’s Stan Lee; key covers, strips and full stories Kurtzman created for MAD, Frontline Combat, Two-Fisted Tales, Humbug and Help!, sometimes in collaboration with fellow comics geniuses Will Elder and Jack Davis. In addition, “Kurtzmania,” numerous rare artifacts and publications never seen by the public, will be on display.