It's difficult not to be in awe of Walt Handelsman. He's the most widely reprinted cartoonist in America. He's won every major journalism award for cartooning excellence. He's won The Pulitzer Prize twice for editorial cartoons. He was the first person to win the Pulitzer Prize for animation in 2007, after teaching himself Flash the year before.*
He's been a featured guest on CNN, FOX and ABC’s "Nightline.” And if that weren't enough, rumor has it he's an entertaining and engaging speaker that draws laughs while bringing the art of editorial cartooning to life. He's been on staff at Newsday since 2001.
As far as the cartoons go, they are a diverse bunch and range from the heart pulling to the heartbreaking. Handelsman's work creates likely scenarios that could unfold stemming from politics, pop culture and current events, revealing the human side of the day's headlines.
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"Economic Indicators" by Walt Handelsman, 2012. Digital print, 10 5/8 x 16 1/2 inches. © Walt Handelsman, Newsday, 2012. Courtesy Hofstra University Museum.
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"This Is Not…" by Walt Handelsman, 2012. Digital print, 10 3/8 x 16 3/8 inches. © Walt Handelsman, Newsday, 2012. Courtesy Hofstra University Museum.
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"The Candidates Are Running Head to Head" by Walt Handelsman, 2012. Digital print, 6 3/8 x 10 inches. © Walt Handelsman, Newsday, 2012. Courtesy Hofstra University Museum.
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Walt Handelsman is a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist. His work is nationally syndicated is published over 250 newspapers around the country and internationally. They include Newsweek, USA Today, The New York Times, The Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune. Handelsman is on staff at Newsday.
His awards include two National Headliner Awards, the Society of Professional Journalists Award, the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, The Scripps Howard National Journalism Award and The 2007 Online News Association's Best Online Commentary Award for his animations.
Handelsman has authored seven collections of his editorial cartoons and a children’s book. He lives in Nassau County, Long Island.
BASIC FACTS: Walt Handelsman's editorial cartoons, animations and drawing process can be viewed at www.walthandelsman.com.
*The biographical information listed in the first paragraph is according to Handelsman's website.
Handelsman's work is currently on view in “Political Slant: Editorial Cartoons” at Hofstra University Museum. The exhibition remains on view through Dec 21, 2012.
“Political Slant: Editorial Cartoons” presents political cartoonists by Pulitzer Prize winner Walt Handelsman of Newsday, Pulitzer Prize winner Mike Keefe (formerly of the Denver Post), Steve Kelley (formerly of the New Orleans Times-Picayune), Jimmy Margulies of the North New Jersey Record and Pulitzer Prize winner Signe Wilkinson of the Philadelphia Daily News. The exhibition also includes historic cartoons by Thomas Nast.
The Hofstra University Museum is located at 112 Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY 11549-1000. www.hofstra.edu.
RELATED STORIES: Hamptons Art Hub: The Funny Pages – Mike Keefe. Published Oct 21, 2012.
Hamptons Art Hub: The Funny Pages – Jimmy Margulies. Published Oct 28, 2012.
Hamptons Art Hub: Art in a Political State of Mind. Published Nov 6, 2012.
Hamptons Art Hub: The Funny Pages - Signe Wilkinson. Published Nov 18, 2012.
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© 2012 Pat Rogers and Hamptons Art Hub. All rights reserved.