1. Louis "Lou" Hirshman was an American artist known for his witty and imaginative use of found objects for caricatures of celebrities and politicians, and in later years for scenes of everyday life.
12 Facts About Louis Hirshman
1. 2.
Louis Hirshman was born in 1905 in western Russia, now part of Ukraine, to Jewish parents.
3.
Louis Hirshman left school at the end of 10th grade and started doing art professionally in 1920.
4.
Little is known about his artistic activities during the decade The Philadelphia Inquirer stated that at some point Louis Hirshman received a grant from the Barnes Foundation, an art institute in Philadelphia, to study art in Paris as well as in Italy.
5.
Louis Hirshman attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia.
6.
Louis Hirshman co-founded the avant-garde Cinema Crafters of Philadelphia in 1928.
7.
In 1938, a premier ballerina, Catherine Littlefield, incensed by an unflattering caricature, entered Louis Hirshman's studio, slapped him on the cheek and tore up the drawing.
8.
Louis Hirshman's work appeared in several other publications, including Vanity Fair.
9.
In 1943, Louis Hirshman went into the US Army and was stationed in Texas, largely doing graphics duties, such as training aids.
10.
Louis Hirshman was appointed faculty director in 1960, serving until his retirement in 1977.
11.
Louis Hirshman's last caricature of a public figure was a 1964 portrayal of a rat-like French President Charles de Gaulle in profile with the foot part a large upside-down sock representing his large proboscis.
12.
Louis Hirshman died on July 26,1986, at his home in Philadelphia.