Drawn to New York

May 13, 2013
This collection of sketchbook pages and finished art brilliantly displays Kuper’s fascination with the city he has called home for over four decades. Lovingly reproduced in b&w and color from a variety of mediums, the art focuses on tiny people trying to survive in the vast metropolis. Some pieces emphasize N.Y.C.’s vitality, and Kuper’s characters can’t imagine living anywhere else; still the place looks more threatening than attractive as individuals become part of geometric patterns while buildings wear anguished expressions. Demonstrating how vulnerable humans are when they’re packed so closely together, the people here are victims of real-estate tycoons, politicians—and their own selfishness and greed, as seen in an illustrated version of Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal.” A near-masterpiece of New York cultural anthropology.