Slow Death of a Dangerous Art

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It’s been called the slow death of a dangerous art. Editorial illustration, the sometimes humorous, sometimes biting, and nearly always opinionated art that used to fill Op-Ed pages and magazine covers, is getting harder to find. And, some argue, it’s also taking a safer path, that in today’s political climate, it’s getting harder to publish the caustic drawings that were mainstream in the ’70s and ’80s.

Back then illustrators say, they were expected to hold up a mirror to society, to point out the president’s foibles and the country’s mistakes no matter how ugly or embarrassing. After all, it is opinion art. But the shift toward political correctness raises questions about what’s lost.

Guests:

Mirko Ilic, editorial illustrator

Robert Grossman, editorial illustrator

Steve Heller, Art Director, New York Times Book Review

Anita Kunz, editorial illustrator.