Barry Blitt (born April 30, 1958 in

Côte Saint-Luc Côte Saint-Luc (; also spelled Côte-Saint-Luc, and known historically in English as Cote St. Luke) is a city on the island of Montreal in Quebec, Canada. Geography Along with Hampstead and Montreal West, Côte Saint-Luc forms an enclave within ...

, Quebec) is a Canadian-born American cartoonist and illustrator, best known for his ''

New Yorker New Yorker or ''variant'' primarily refers to: * A resident of the State of New York ** Demographics of New York (state) * A resident of New York City ** List of people from New York City * ''The New Yorker'', a magazine founded in 1925 * ''The New ...

'' covers and as a regular contributor to the

op-ed An op-ed, short for "opposite the editorial page", is a written prose piece, typically published by a North-American newspaper or magazine, which expresses the opinion of an author usually not affiliated with the publication's editorial board. O ...

page of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. Blitt creates his works in traditional pen and ink, as well as

watercolors Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...

Early life and education

Blitt grew up in

, Quebec, a municipality on the

Island of Montreal The Island of Montreal (french: Île de Montréal) is a large island in southwestern Quebec, Canada, that is the site of a number of municipalities including most of the city of Montreal and is the most populous island in Canada. It is the main ...

. The artist's first publication credit came at age 16: a series of drawings in the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Wells ...

1974 yearbook. He graduated from The

Ontario College of Art and Design Ontario College of Art & Design University, commonly known as OCAD University or OCAD, is a public art university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus is spread throughout several buildings and facilities within do ...

in 1982 and moved to the US in 1989.

Work

Blitt first began drawing political cartoons at the Toronto Magazine. He worked for ten years at

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

drawing half-page celebrity cartoons. In 1993 Blitt began contributing to ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'', Blitt's illustration work has also been featured by publications such as '' Vanity Fair'', ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'', ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'' and others. The artist is also well known for illustrating

Frank Rich Frank Hart Rich Jr. (born 1949) is an American essayist and liberal op-ed columnist, who held various positions within ''The New York Times'' from 1980 to 2011. He has also produced television series and documentaries for HBO. Rich is current ...

's Sunday

column in ''

''. Regarding that work, Rich is quoted as saying, "It's a long-distance collaboration – me in New York City, Barry in Connecticut – but one of the most satisfying I've had in my career." Many of Blitt's ''New Yorker'' covers have been finalists for the Cover of the Year from the

American Society of Magazine Editors The American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) is an industry trade group for magazine journalists and editors of magazines published in the United States. ASME includes the editorial leaders of most major consumer magazine in print and digital ex ...

, including, in 2008, ''Narrow Stance'' and ''I'll Get It!'',''First Anniversary'' in 2010, and ''The Book of Life'' in 2012. Blitt is also credited with animation design by ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

'' Since 2018, Blitt has been designing the program covers for Hunter Theater Project's productions, beginning with Richard Nelson's translation of Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya.

Awards and honors

Blitt won the 2020

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

for editorial cartoons "for his watercolor style and gentle caricatures of the personalities and policies that come from the Trump White House." Other awards and honors Blitt has received include: * Les Usherwood Lifetime Achievement Award 2016 * Cover of the Year for ''Deluged'' published by ''The New Yorker'', awarded by The

(2006) * Art Directors Club, Hall of Fame (2012) * Work showcased at the

Norman Rockwell Museum The Norman Rockwell Museum is an art museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, dedicated to the art of Norman Rockwell. It is home to the world's largest collection of original Rockwell art. The museum also hosts traveling exhibitions pertaining to A ...

in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, the

Royal Ontario Museum The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is a museum of art, world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is one of the largest museums in North America and the largest in Canada. It attracts more than one million visitors every year ...

and the

Museum of American Illustration * The Museum of American Illustration and Exhibitions, established 1981 in New York City * National Museum of American Illustration The National Museum of American Illustration (NMAI), founded in 1998, is the first national museum to be devoted e ...

in New York

Controversy

Blitt's 2008 ''New Yorker'' cover depicting Michelle and Barack Obama standing in the Oval Office was labeled "tasteless and offensive" by Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton. A campaign spokesman for

Senator John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...

also condemned the art. In the cover art, Obama is shown wearing traditional Muslim clothes, including sandals, robe and turban. His wife, Michelle is shown dressed in camouflage, combat boots and has an assault rifle over her shoulder. Behind them, an American flag is burning in the fireplace. Titled ''The Politics of Fear'', the cover satirized the rumors about Obama and his wife as he ran for the presidency. The controversial art was covered by numerous media outlets including the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'', PBS and others. In defense of the art, Eric Bates of ''

'' was quoted as saying, "I don't think it (''The New Yorker'') crossed the line. I would question whether there's much of a line to be crossed. I think their intent was clear, but I think it's clear from the response that a lot of people didn't get the joke." ''The New York Times'' called it the most memorable image of the 2008 presidential campaign, and

Françoise Mouly Françoise Mouly (; born 24 October 1955) is a Paris-born New York-based designer, editor, and publisher. She is best known as co-founder, co-editor, and publisher of the comics and graphics magazine ''Raw'' (1980–1991), as the publisher of ...

, the Art Editor of the ''New Yorker'', said she was "extremely proud" of the piece. Regarding the controversy, Blitt was quoted as saying "Anytime I produce a cover, I always regret it afterward". The cover art was parodied later the same year by ''

'', with a photograph by Jake Chessum featuring

Jon Stewart Jon Stewart (born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz; November 28, 1962) is an American comedian, political commentator, and television host. He hosted ''The Daily Show'', a satirical news program on Comedy Central, from 1999 to 2015 and now hosts ''Th ...

and

Stephen Colbert Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program ''The Colbert Report'' from 2005 to ...

. In spite of the controversy and condemnation by the Obama campaign, after taking office President Barack Obama chose one of Blitt's ''New Yorker'' covers to hang in the White House. The cover depicts the President picking the family dog at the same time as he is vetting candidates for his national security cabinet. Additionally, President Obama requested and received a signed ''New Yorker'' cover by the artist, which depicts the President walking on water.

Bibliography

* * ;Children's book illustrator * ''Once Upon a Time, the End (Asleep in 60 Seconds)'' by

Geoffrey Kloske Geoffrey Kloske (born 1969) is the vice president and publisher of Riverhead Books, a division of Penguin Group. He served as vice president and executive editor of Simon & Schuster from 1998 to 2006. Previously, he was an editor at Little, Brow ...

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publ ...

(2005) * ''The 39 Apartments of Ludwig Van Beethoven'' by Jonah Winter,

Schwartz & Wade Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

(2006) * ''What's the Weather Inside?'' by Karma Wilson,

(2009) * ''The Adventures of Mark Twain by Huckleberry Finn'' by Robert Burleigh,

(2011) * ''George Washington's Birthday (a mostly true tale)'' by

Margaret McNamara Margaret Craig McNamara (August 22, 1915 – February 3, 1981) was the founder of the nonprofit children's literacy organization Reading is Fundamental and the wife of the United States Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. Life and work McNamara ...

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

(2012) * ''The Founding Fathers!Those Horse-Ridin', Fiddle-Playin', Book-Readin', Gun-Totin' Gentlemen Who Started America'' by Jonah Winter

(2015) ;Book illustrator * ''Baby's First Tattoo: A Memory Book for Modern Parents'' by Jim Mullen,

(2002) * ''Peculiar Questions and Practical Answers'' by the New York Public Library,

St. Martin's Griffin St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, in the Equitable Building (New York City), Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishers, bringing to the pub ...

(2019) ;Magazine covers *

Personal life

Blitt currently resides in Connecticut His younger brother,

Ricky Blitt Ricky may refer to: Places *Říčky (Brno-Country District), a village and municipality in the Czech Republic *Říčky v Orlických horách, a village in the north of the Czech Republic *Rickmansworth, a town in England sometimes called "Ricky" ...

, is a screenwriter, based in West Hollywood. Blitt is married to Angie Silverstein.

References

External links

*
Artist's Personal Blog at Drawger

Artist's Interview with Terry Gross
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blitt, Barry American illustrators 1958 births Living people People from Côte Saint-Luc Canadian cartoonists Jewish Canadian artists Canadian emigrants to the United States American Jews Artists from Connecticut Anglophone Quebec people The New Yorker people OCAD University alumni Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning winners