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Friday June 6, 2008

Ogre and wiser: West Coast exclusive: works by ‘Shrek’ creator William Steig

by dan pine
staff writer

Those visiting the new Contemporary Jewish Museum will find a special treat on deck: Shrek.

A traveling exhibition featuring the work of cartoonist-illustrator William Steig will be part the CJM’s June 8 opening and will run through Sept. 7. Organized by New York’s Jewish Museum, “From the New Yorker to Shrek: The Art of William Steig” will make its only West Coast appearance at the CJM and will be on display in the museum’s 2,500-square-foot first floor gallery.

Best known for his cartoons and children’s books, Steig (who died in 2003) worked at the New Yorker for an incredible 73 years. During his long tenure, he created more than 120 covers and 1,600 cartoons.

Steig later became a writer and illustrator of children’s literature, creating such titles as “Sylvester and the Magic Pebble” and “Doctor De Soto.” His 1990 picture book “Shrek!” (which means fear in Yiddish) served as the basis of the 2001 Academy Award-winning feature film “Shrek,” sequels “Shrek 2” and “Shrek the Third,” and an upcoming Broadway musical version.

The CJM exhibit includes pen-and-ink drawings, geometric figure studies, watercolors, artists’ sketchbooks, letters and even character studies and models created by animators at DreamWorks, producer of the Shrek movies.

Born in New York City in 1907, Steig was the first cartoonist at the New Yorker to conceive, draw and caption his own cartoons. In his work, he often drew on his experience as the son of Eastern European Jewish immigrants.

“I think I feel a little differently than other people do,” Steig once said. “For some reason I’ve never felt grown up.”

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