Famed NY Review of Books cartoonist dies at 83

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1:25 pm Wednesday, December 30, 2009
by stacey palevsky

David Levine, the Jewish cartoonist who gave the New York Review of Books its biting, compelling and often unflattering illustrations, died yesterday in New York. He was 83.

Over the years, Levine made nearly 4,000 drawings for the Review of Books. Among his most famous images:

davidlevine_330 President Lyndon Johnson showing off the scar from his gallbladder operation that was in the shape of the boundaries of Vietnam; Henry Kissinger having sex with a female whose head was in the shape of a globe, depicting, Levine explained later, what Mr. Kissinger had done to the world; Yasir Arafat and Airel Sharon in a David-and-Goliath scene. Levine actually kept all of his charicatures arranged alphabetically in his study.

In an interview in 2008 during an exhibit of his work called “American Presidents” at the New York Public Library, he said that, “I would say that political satire saved the nation from going to hell."

The New York Times has a thorough obituary — but what's even more worthwhile is the 2008 profile in Vanity Fair. It details Levine's sadly declining eyesight. Macular degeneration made it increasingly difficult for the famed cartoonist to continue his work. The article is a moving and affectionate portrait of the artist.

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