All the Art That's Fit to Print (And Some That Wasn't)

August 25, 2008
The enduring relevance of the New York Times
op-ed illustrations are explicated with literary flair by Kraus, a former art director of the page, who contends that the groundbreaking pictures “changed the very purpose and potential of illustrations... to stir the political and cultural pot.” Episodic essays accompanied by illustrations re-create the battles between art directors and editors that have raged since the Times
created the world’s first op-ed page in 1970. The works of famous Times
illustrators like Brad Holland and Roland Topor, are enriched by Kraus’s presentation of the controversies associated with their publication or rejection. The book serves as a chronicle of late 20th-century history, replete with sardonic images of tyrants and visual commentaries on the fall of communism; the works of Eastern Europeans who fled totalitarian regimes are some of the most challenging and resonant. In this overflowing treasure chest of ideas, politics and cultural critiques, Kraus proves that “art is dangerous” and sometimes necessarily so. 306 illus.