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On Friday night David Leonard, the curator of the valuable work of the 20th-century American cartoonist Al Hirschfeld and a representative of the Al Hirschfeld Foundation, presented the artist’s work and career at the WAO Chavón Innovation Hub in Altos de Chavón.

The Al Hirschfeld Foundation was invited to Casa de Campo for a unique event as part of the Artists in Casa initiative. This program in collaboration with the Patronato Benéfico Oriental (PBO) has the goal of showcasing influential and diverse artists to the community. Guests were able to enjoy a pleasant night, complete with live music and the impressive drawings of recognized artists and Broadway shows by Hirschfeld.

Al Hirschfeld is known for his ability to portray characters using only lines, maintaining their essence, instead of highlighting features or distorting faces. Despite being called a cartoonist, he considered himself a “character artist” due to his unique style. The importance of Hirshfield lies in the fact that his drawings create a new minimalist visual language and calligraphic, fluid, rhythmic and symbolic lines, characterizing rather than ridiculing his characters, who felt flattered by the artist. His technique has influenced and inspired many subsequent artists, which earned him the National Medal of Arts of the United States, a distinction given to personalities such as Frank Capra, Billy Wilder, Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin.

David Leonard explained that the mission of the foundation is to make known, preserve, and interpret the artist’s work by exhibiting in museums, theaters and libraries, as well as supporting their development through sponsorship. Hirshfeld’s drawings were part of the New York Times for 75 years, and are present in public collections of museums such as the Metropolitan, Whitney, National Portrait Gallery and Harvard’s Theater Collection. Hirschfeld is the author of several books, among which are Manhattan Oases and Show Business is No Business, in addition to 10 collections of his work. He was declared a living landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1996 and a living legend by the Library of Congress in 2000.

Mr. Jason Kycek, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing highlighted: We were honored to welcome Creative Director, David Leopold, from the Al Hirschfeld Foundation, to Casa de Campo this past weekend to share the masterful work and brilliance of the late 20th century “characterist”, Al Hirschfeld.  His visit marked yet another milestone for us in bringing world-renowned artists as part of our arts, history, and cultural programs for the Casa de Campo Community and the Dominican Republic alike.  His presentation and real life stories mesmerized the audience and left everyone with a feeling of wanting more.  We look forward to welcoming him back again later this year for a more in-depth and longer art exhibit at our art gallery in Altos de Chavon.”

See below for more photos of the activity taken by Mairobi Herrera: