The Comic Strip Art of Lyonel Feininger

by Lyonel Feininger

Buy used: $50.00

Editorial Reviews

A collection of classic comic strips from a master of American comics and art.

Out of print for a decade, this new edition (with newly designed covers) of The Comic Strip Art of Lyonel Feininger features one of the ten cartooning greats featured in the historic "Masters of American Comics" show produced by the Los Angeles Hammer Museum and Museum of Contemporary Art and currently traveling across the country. It is the only complete collection of the legendary comic strips of one of the medium's all-time greatest artists. Known worldwide for his accomplishments as a painter, Feininger began his career as a cartoonist, producing—all too briefly—two beautifully ambitious comic strips for the Chicago Sunday Tribune in 1906: The Kin-Der-Kids and Wee Willie Winkie's World, both of which remain high points in the history of strip cartooning. The Kin-Der-Kids is a rollicking comic opera of the ludicrous exploits of a group of young adventurers as they set off around the world in their bathtub with the oppressive Auntie Jim-Jam in hot pursuit. Wee Willie Winkie's World is a Little Nemo-esque visual tour-de-force of a little boy's charming fantasy world. Long considered an equal of Winsor McCay and George Herriman, Feininger's place in strip history is cemented with this beautiful, full-color, oversized collection, edited and featuring an introduction by historian Bill Blackbeard (Krazy & Ignatz).

Customer Reviews

Feininger -- Bauhaus Founder & Father of the Modern Sunday Comics Page, 2008-10-22
by Jeffrey Kersten (Chicago, IL USA)

For historians who study the early Founding Fathers of the modern comic strip, this fine book establishes Lyonel Feininger's significant influence on the evolution of the art form.

Known famously as a founding instructor of the Staatliches Bauhaus in Weimar, Germany, Feininger is also considered an early founder of the Modernist movement in 1920's Europe. Specifically, Feininger's style helped define European Expressionism.

Several notable details of his prolific career make Feininger unique among his contemporaries. First, he was an American ex-pat -- his family moved to Germany early in his life. Secondly, among his contemporaries he was the only Expressionist painter that cut his teeth as a masterful caricaturist and published cartoonist.

Bill Blackbeard's wonderful commentary fills the gaps in Feininger's contributions to comic strip history. The story is wholly American and the definitive presentation of Feininger's Sunday pages are breathtakingly exquisite.

A magical world in comics, 2000-05-15
by Sonia Brenner (Oberlin, Ohio)

This is a charming collection of early 20th century comics by Lionel Feininger. His colorful drawings are enrapturing: he has a great sense of design and ability to create characters. The Kinder Kids escape their elders and embark on fantastical adventures, Wee Willie Winkie sees the world through the imaginitive eyes of a child. These comics are very funny and magical.