Sam Steinberg (artist)
Encyclopedia
Sam Steinberg was an American outsider art
painter from The Bronx
, New York
, called the "unofficial artist-in-residence" at Columbia University
by Peter Frank (art critic)
. His work was "shown" (and sold) exclusively on the Columbia campus, and his style was one of the first identified as "outsider," an approach coined by art critic Roger Cardinal circa 1972, after Jean Dubuffet
's art brut.
Suffering from a debilitating hairlessness disease, atrichia with papular lesions
, Steinberg was classified 4F in both world wars. In the late 1930s, he and his mother started visiting Columbia daily to sell chocolate bars.
Signed with his distinctive cursive signature, "Sam S.," Steinberg spontaneously began showing and selling original paintings in 1967. He purchased illustration boards and paints from local stationery stores; eventually shifting to permanent magic marker pen
s. His subjects ranged from animals to popular culture figures like Santa Claus
and Elvis Presley
, but Steinberg's favorite muses were most certainly his interpretations of cats and "boids." After riding three New York City subway
to arrive at Columbia, he was usually carrying three or fresh paintings (often as many as 20 per week), which, during the 1970s sold for $2.50 (rising to $3.50 by 1980). A campus art institution, it was a rare Columbia College dormitory room that didn't have at least one "Sam" hanging up. His one known example of a commercial use of his paintings was in 1973, for a jazz fusion
album recorded by a former Columbia student, Marc Copland
on a label, Oblivion Records
co-founded by another, Fred Seibert
.
Through his last decades, Steinberg shared an apartment and his art with his younger sister, colorist
Pauline Steinberg.
Outsider Art
The term outsider art was coined by art critic Roger Cardinal in 1972 as an English synonym for art brut , a label created by French artist Jean Dubuffet to describe art created outside the boundaries of official culture; Dubuffet focused particularly on art by insane-asylum inmates.While...
painter from The Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, called the "unofficial artist-in-residence" at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
by Peter Frank (art critic)
Peter Frank (art critic)
Peter Frank is the Senior Curator at the Riverside Art Museum and an art critic for Angeleno Magazine. He is an occasional contributor to The Huffington Post. Until July 9, 2008, a long-time critic for LA Weekly...
. His work was "shown" (and sold) exclusively on the Columbia campus, and his style was one of the first identified as "outsider," an approach coined by art critic Roger Cardinal circa 1972, after Jean Dubuffet
Jean Dubuffet
Jean Philippe Arthur Dubuffet was a French painter and sculptor. His idealistic approach to aesthetics embraced so called "low art" and eschewed traditional standards of beauty in favor of what he believed to be a more authentic and humanistic approach to image-making.-Life and work:Dubuffet was...
's art brut.
Suffering from a debilitating hairlessness disease, atrichia with papular lesions
Atrichia with papular lesions
Atrichia with papular lesions is a diffuse hair loss caused by an abnormality of the human homologue of the mouse hairless gene.It is associated with HR....
, Steinberg was classified 4F in both world wars. In the late 1930s, he and his mother started visiting Columbia daily to sell chocolate bars.
Signed with his distinctive cursive signature, "Sam S.," Steinberg spontaneously began showing and selling original paintings in 1967. He purchased illustration boards and paints from local stationery stores; eventually shifting to permanent magic marker pen
Marker pen
thumb|MarkerA marker pen, marking pen, felt-tip pen, flow or marker, is a pen which has its own ink-source, and usually a tip made of a porous, pressed fibres; such as felt or nylon.-Permanent marker:...
s. His subjects ranged from animals to popular culture figures like Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
and Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, but Steinberg's favorite muses were most certainly his interpretations of cats and "boids." After riding three New York City subway
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
to arrive at Columbia, he was usually carrying three or fresh paintings (often as many as 20 per week), which, during the 1970s sold for $2.50 (rising to $3.50 by 1980). A campus art institution, it was a rare Columbia College dormitory room that didn't have at least one "Sam" hanging up. His one known example of a commercial use of his paintings was in 1973, for a jazz fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
album recorded by a former Columbia student, Marc Copland
Marc Copland
Marc Copland is an American jazz pianist and composer.Copland became part of the jazz scene in Philadelphia in the early 1960s as a saxophonist, and later moved to New York where he experimented with electric alto saxophone...
on a label, Oblivion Records
Oblivion Records
Oblivion Records was an American independent record label that focused on under recorded blues and jazz musicians. The company was based in Huntington, New York and New York City and a post office box in Roslyn Heights, New York from 1972–1976....
co-founded by another, Fred Seibert
Fred Seibert
Frederick "Fred" Seibert is a television and film producer and entertainment entrepreneur who owns Frederator Studios, and who has held leading positions with MTV Networks, Hanna-Barbera, and Next New Networks; he owns Frederator Studios...
.
Through his last decades, Steinberg shared an apartment and his art with his younger sister, colorist
Colorist
In comics, a colorist is responsible for adding color to black-and-white line art. For most of the 20th century this was done using brushes and dyes which were then used as guides to produce the printing plates...
Pauline Steinberg.