The following is a guest post by Martha H. Kennedy, Curator of Popular and Applied Graphic Arts, Prints and Photographs Division.
Herb Block (aka Herblock) (1909-2001), legendary cartoonist for the Washington Post and four-time Pulitzer Prize winner, probably never met Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), but he did admire this artist and his art. He also admired, learned from, and drew upon work by other fine artists. How do we know? To explore this interesting aspect of Herblock’s work, let’s first ask what could the focused, forthright cartoonist possibly have in common with a global star of fine art who pioneered the early abstract style of Cubism?
Consider the tribute that he drew just days after Picasso’s death on April 8, 1973.