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years of
partnership

most "Ninas" he included in a draw-
ing was 40, in a picture of Whoopi
Goldberg.
"The week Nina was born, a show
opened that had a circus theme. I
facetiously put a poster in the back-
ground [of a drawing]. It showed a
small child reading a book, and I

Between
The Lines

The photograph of Al Hirschfeld on
the cover of this weeks Jewish News is
by New York photographer Len
Prince. The former Oak Parker was
profiled in our March 6 issue.
When Prince had the opportunity
to snap pictures of Hirschfeld, he
jumped at the chance.
"I was genuinely intrigued and
excited about the prospect of pho-
tographing Al Hirschfeld," says
Prince, who is the author of About
Glamour. "He is the epitome of suc-
cess as a commercial, New York artist.
I love the way Hirschfeld has taken

Peter, Paul
& Mary

SUNDAY

Patron Tickets:. $500 — includes
box seat and afterglow
For Tickets: Ticketmaster (248) 645-6666
or Detroit Opera House (313) 961-3500

$1.50 Detroit Opera House restoration charge will be added to ticket price

4/24

1998

100

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t
Israel

,

a

le style and gained
911s1,
ial acclaim — almost like
c o mmerc
Picasso, a legend in his own time.
"My truest interest lies in the area
of the arts, because I am an art pho-
tographer, and [his subjects] are the
kinds of subjects I live and breathe
for."
As soon as he arrived at
Hirschfeld's residence, Prince knew
he was in for an unforgettable experi-
ence. "My assistant Patrick and I
were whisked into the hallway by his
housekeeper and immediately sum-

wrote 'Nina The Wonder Child.' I
kept that up for a week or two and
then tried to stop [the Nina refer-
ences], but it became impossible.
And there has been no stopping it
since."
Fortunately, Hirschfeld's mother
and father, who both lived into their

moned to Hirschfeld's studio," he
says. "There he was, sitting like a
master artist in his barber chain I
introduced myself and began to set
up my 8 x 10 field camera.
"Al was enamored with my camera
and started to talk to me about how
- he hasn't seen a photographer use a
camera like that in 50 years. While I
was photographing him, he under-
stood what we were doing together.
His eyebrows were wild; his face had
the most gentle smile. We looked at
each other and knew what to do. I
followed his lead -- we had a visual
experience.
"His expression was one of a hum-
ble man. My impression was that he
is a great thinker and a jovial charac-
ter. I believe Jewish men are great
conversationalists and enjoy the com-
pany of other men,
and that's what I felt
about Al. He started
posing and before we
knew it, we were
done.
"My assistant and
I left in total awe of
this great man,"
Prince continues. "I
kept thinking, 'Here
is this aged man, and
he is still reigning
over youth.' He is as
talented as ever and
not at all old --
despite his age."
Indeed, Prince's
admiration for
Hirschfeld is shared
by millions. No won-
der, since Hirschfeld
is one of the most influential artists
in America.
According to Darryl V Jones,
assistant professor of directing and
acting in the University of Michigan's
theater and drama department,
"There have been a lot of imitators,
but Hirschfeld manages to capture
the personality behind the actor in a
way that no others have."
Hirschfeld has been a part of the
mystique and magic of the theater,
says Jones. "In his caricatures, he does