Virtual Memories Show 653:
David Leopold
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“Hirschfeld and Sondheim are two men of the theater who have theaters named for them.”
Curator and archivist David Leopold rejoins the show for a wide-ranging talk centered on the amazing new HIRSCHFELD’S SONDHEIM: A Poster Book (Abrams ComicArts). We talk about David’s decades as Hirschfeld’s archivist, Sondheim’s love of Hirschfeld’s work, the process of making his first book of Hirschfeld’s art that focuses on a single creator, the connections between Al & Sondheim in David’s text pieces for the book, and the joy of getting an intro from Bernadette Peters. We get into the work that the Hirschfeld Foundation does for regional theaters, why the drop-off of arts criticism is a disaster for culture, how younger people experience and appreciate Hirschfeld’s art, and the time David held a seance at the Algonquin to promote the Hirschfeld Broadway Tarot. We also discuss our all-time fave Prince songs, what it’s like being an archivist in a post-object world, the Steve Cohen magic performance that blew his mind, his new exhibitions at the Studio of Ben Solowey, how the next generation of theater organists (!) is getting trained, how aware Sondheim and Hirschfeld were that they were making history in their lifetimes, and more. Give it a listen! And go get HIRSCHFELD’S SONDHEIM!
“Hirschfeld was in the New York Times on average every other week FOR SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS. And that represents less than half of his work.”
“I have found the Fountain of Youth: work with older people!”
“It’s fascinating to be woking with Hirschfeld’s work, because I have a front-row seat on the change in perception of an artist’s work.”
“Hirschfeld lived entirely in the present; he hired me to think about his past.”
Enjoy the conversation! Then check out the archives for more great episodes!
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About our Guest
David Leopold is an author and curator who has organized exhibitions for institutions around the country including the Library of Congress, the Field Museum in Chicago, the James A. Michener Art Museum, and the New York Public Library. Internationally, he has organized shows for museums including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the Filmmuseum in Berlin. He has been the archivist of Al Hirschfeld’s work for 30 years, first for the artist himself, then for the nonprofit Al Hirschfeld Foundation, where he is now Creative Director. He has written extensively about twentieth century performance caricature.
Follow David & the Al Hirschfeld Foundation on YouTube, Tiktok, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky.
Credits: This episode’s music is Fella by Hal Mayforth, used with permission from the artist. The conversation was recorded at the Studio of Ben Solowey on a pair of Blue enCORE 200 microphones feeding into a Zoom PodTrak P4 digital recorder & interface. I recorded the intro and outro on a Heil PR-40 Dynamic Studio Recording Microphone feeding into a Zoom PodTrak P4. All processing and editing done in Adobe Audition CC. Photo of David by me. It’s on my instagram.