An online auction of twenty limited-edition numbered prints by legendary caricaturist and two-time Tony Award recipient Al Hirschfeld, hand-signed by the Broadway and Hollywood stars featured in them, is now open for bidding through Wednesday, May 22, to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (one of the nation’s leading industry-based nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations) and The Al Hirschfeld Foundation (with a mission of promoting interest in the theater and visual arts by supporting non-profit cultural institutions).
The works of Hirschfeld – a self-described “characterist” known for his linear calligraphic style, who died at the age of 99 in 2003 (after which Broadway’s Martin Beck Theatre was renamed the Al Hirschfeld Theatre) – appeared in The New York Times for 75 years, as well as on numerous book and record covers, fifteen postage stamps, and in countless other major publications over the course of his long career.
According to David Leopold, the Creative Director of the Al Hirschfeld Foundation, “For years, Hirschfeld admirers have asked for these images to be published as prints. Having the performers, who felt honored to be drawn by The Line King, return the favor by signing these very limited editions is a tribute to how much Hirschfeld and Broadway Cares mean to this community.” He also noted, “This year we have ten Tony winners in the group. Some like Donna McKechnie in A Chorus Line, Michael Crawford in Phantom of the Opera, and Joel Grey in Cabaret are drawn in the roles they won their Tonys for. This is an incredible award-winning collection.”
Along with McKechnie, Crawford, and Grey, the stars who autographed this selection of collectible prints are Alan Alda, Julie Andrews, Kevin Bacon, Cher, Ellen Greene, Mark Hamill, Jessica Lange, Jose Llana, Ian McKellen, Liza Minnelli, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, Chita Rivera, Linda Ronstadt, Lea Salonga, Patrick Stewart, Christopher Walken, and John Williams.
Among the auction lots are signed prints of Chita Rivera, who passed away in January, appearing alongside Dick Van Dyke in the leading roles of Rosie Alvarez and Albert Peterson in Bye Bye Birdie; Oscar, Emmy, and Grammy Award winner Julie Andrews, memorialized in her star turn as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, opposite Rex Harrison; and Tony and Oscar winner Jessica Lange, currently a 2024 Tony nominee for Mother Play, captured in the Tennessee Williams classic A Streetcar Named Desire.
Each print is valued at $2500, with opening bids beginning at $550. To enter yours, click here. Winning bidders will become owners of an iconic piece of Broadway history and also help two important charitable organizations in the theater community.
