Art Spiegelman

(1948 - )

Art Spiegelman is a Jewish American cartoonist, editor and comics advocate. He is most famous for his graphic novel, Maus.

Back Cover from Maus

Spiegelman (born February 15, 1948) was born in Stockholm. He grew up in Rego Park, NY. Attended the M.S of art anddesign, followed by two and a half years at Harper College, SUNY Binghamton and a month in Binghamton State Mental Hospital. He received an honorary doctorate of letters from SUNY Binghamton in June 1995.

He began working for Topps Gum Co. in 1966, were he stayed for almost twenty years. There he created novelty cards, stickers and candy products. Some of his creations include: garbage candy, wacky packages and garbage pail kids. He began doing underground comix in 1966.

He moved in San Fransisco from 1971-1975 where Comix appeared in East Village. He moved back to New York City and began doing drawings and comix for the New York Times, Village voice and Playboy. He also became an instructor at the School of Visual Arts. In 1979 he co-founded RAW magazine with his wife.

He published the first half of Maus: A Survivor's Tale in 1986 and the second in 1991. He received National Book Critics Circle Nominations for both books. He got the Special Pulitzer Prize in 1992. MAUS has been published in twenty different languages.

Art currently lives with his wife and two children in Lower Manhattan.

Sources: The International Museum Of Cartoon Art; Image courtesy of Comic Connections