Influence and Affinity

Saul Steinberg's wry drawings and David Byrne's ink works explore shared sensibilities across generations—observation, humor, and the surreal in everyday life.

Why go

Byrne cites Steinberg as a formative influence, and this pairing reveals their philosophical kinship: both artists transform mundane subjects into witty, inventive tableaus that transcend illustration. Byrne's pandemic-era drawings debut alongside Steinberg's iconic New Yorker-era work, plus a new series of hand-embroidered textile banners by Byrne

What to expect

Drawings, watercolors, prints, and collages by both artists, including a six-drawing cityscape suite by Steinberg and large-format works. Byrne's vibrant textile banners—incorporating vintage trims and hand-embroidered elements—echo fraternal-organization insignia, displayed alongside his ink-on-paper works from 2006 onward.

Things to know

• Byrne explicitly credits Steinberg as inspiration, noting his drawings transcended 'mere illustration' and showed him categories could break
• Steinberg was a major artist-philosopher of the 1940s–50s, recording society in drawings that became New Yorker pages and covers.
• Byrne's featured drawings emerged during COVID-19 isolation in 2020, depicting bodies, dreams, nightmares, and the surrounding city.
• Exhibition includes a new series of textile banners by Byrne created in 2026, featuring hand-embroidered details and vintage trims.
• Steinberg's work spans painting, drawing, assemblage, and calligraphy, often incorporating ready-made materials like sheet music and brown p
• Both artists share a fondness and irony in depicting city scenes, still lifes, landscapes, and portraits across five decades of practice.