Broadway Caricaturist Sam Norkin Subject of Online Exhibition This Fall

Sam Norkin (1917-2011), who drew Broadway for decades, honoring opening nights with the caricature of a star or the entire company, most notably for The New York Daily News, is the subject of an online exhibition at Broadway Design Exchange, beginning now through November 19.

Ink on board drawings of several iconic Broadway productions, including the original GYPSY with Ethel Merman and the 1974 revival with Angela Lansbury, the original SOUND OF MUSIC with Mary Martin, FLORA THE RED MENACE with Liza Minnelli, and ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST with Kirk Douglas, among many others, are being offered. One oil painting, BACKSTAGE, THE AMBASSADOR, is part of the exhibition.

Broadway Design Exchange founder, and Tony Award nominated set designer, Anna Louizos said, "Norkin loved the theatre and that emotion is evident in his artistry. He loved drawing the theatre."

Sam Norkin REVISITED
Exhibition checklist

GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES
Carol Channing
pre-Broadway engagement, Boston, 1949

ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST
Kirk Douglas
Published in the NY Daily News on December 1, 1963

STOP THE WORLD, I WANT TO GET OFF, 1978
Sammy Davis, Jr.

THE GOODBYE GIRL, 1993
Bernadette Peters and Martin Short

GYPSY
Ethel Merman, Jack Klugman
Published in the NY Daily News August 14, 1960

GYPSY
Angela Lansbury
Published in the NY Daily News on September 15, 1974

THE SOUND OF MUSIC
Mary Martin, Theodore Bikel
published in the NY Daily News November 15, 1959

ANNIE GET YOUR GUN
Ethel Merman,
Pre-Broadway, Boston, 1946

FLORA, THE RED MEANACE
Liza Minnelli
published in the NY Daily News on May 9, 1965

SECRET SERVICE
"Secret Service" (Phoenix Theatre)
published Sunday, April 11, 1976 in The New York Daily News
(l to r) Roy Poole, John Lithgow, Rex Robbins, Charles Kimbrough, Mary Beth Hurt, Meryl Streep

REDHEAD
Gwen Verdon, Richard Kiley
Pubished in the NY Daily News February 1, 1959

I CAN GET IT FOR YOU WHOLESALE
Larry Kert,
National tour, February 1963
19 ¼" x 22"

COUNTERATTACK, 1943
Morris Carnovsky
19 ¾" x 15 ½"

BACKSTAGE, THE AMBASSADOR
24" x 36" oil on canvas
c. 1940s

Click here to check out the collection!

Samuel Norkin (1917-2011) was a Brooklyn, New York-born cartoonist who specialized in theatre caricatures for more than seven decades. His drawings of theatre, opera, ballet and film celebrities appeared in Variety, Backstage, The Philadelphia Enquirer, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe and many other publications. Norkin learned composition and anatomy from the muralist Mordi Gassner. He received a scholarship to the Metropolitan Art School after his high school graduation, and he later attended Cooper Union, the Brooklyn Museum Art School and the School of Fine and Industrial Art. During the 1940s, newspaper editors wanted to devote more space to new theatrical productions, but photo opportunities usually did not happen until a show opened. Norkin took advantage of the situation and gained access to rehearsals, performers, costume sketches, fittings and scenic designs, providing editors with illustrations prior to an opening. From 1940 to 1956, his theatrical illustrations were a regular feature in The New York Herald Tribune. Then for the next 26 years, he covered the performing arts for the Daily News. Since 1940, Norkin has had more than 4000 drawings published. When he began doing theatrical caricature, he supplied his own captions, which eventually prompted him to write articles and reviews. He was an art critic for the Carnegie Hall house program and a cultural reporter for the Daily News. (Bio Courtesy of Wikipedia)

Broadway Design Exchange showcases the work of talented designers and artisans who work in the entertainment industry - Broadway, Off-Broadway, regional theatre, film and television. Much of the process to create shows is a mystery to the countless fans and audience members. Broadway Design Exchange aims to shed light on the artistry, craftsmanship and skill that contributes to that shared experience, and provide fans and collectors a chance to own a treasured memento. Broadway Design Exchange gives you an opportunity to shop its marketplace for a range of creations - from one-of-a-kind items (original set models, original costume/scenic sketches) to limited edition prints of sketches, miniatures, playbills, posters, etc., as well as custom pieces made to order by design professionals based in New York and beyond - or just browse its site for fun. The aim is to provide a reliable online gallery and marketplace for designers, collectors and fans alike. Anna Louizos, Founder.

Pictured: GYPSY with Angela Lansbury. Illustration by Sam Norkin. Published in the NY Daily News on September 15, 1974.