Artist of the day: Artist of the Day, April 15, 2021: Philip Burke, an American caricature artist and illustrator (#1258)

Thursday, April 15, 2021

Artist of the Day, April 15, 2021: Philip Burke, an American caricature artist and illustrator (#1258)

Philip Burke (1956) is an American caricature artist and illustrator, known for his vivid portraits that appeared in the pages of Rolling Stone magazine for almost a decade. Burke's work extends beyond the likes of contemporary musicians; often serving as a chronicle of the political and social undercurrent on the pages of Vanity Fair, Time, Vogue or The New Yorker and others.

Burke was born in Buffalo, New York. He was brought up in a strict Catholic home and was baptized by his great uncle Buffalo Bishop Burke. His first dabbling with caricatures date back to 1971, while a high school sophomore. Philip left Buffalo for the University of Toronto in 1974 where he drew caricatures for the University newspaper during his time there. Although he lost interest in academics, he packed up his portfolio and headed for New York City to pursue a career as an illustrator. Living in the West Village, he began drawing pen and ink caricatures for the Village Voice and various other publications. In 1982 Burke was shifting gears and began painting with oils. He signed an exclusive contract with the newly formed Vanity Fair magazine. A year later, Burke returned to his hometown, Buffalo, New York where he got married and started a family.

Andy Warhol became a fan of Burke's art after seeing his illustrations in Vanity Fair. Burke bumped into Warhol on a New York street and the two became friends. After a year Burke got up enough courage to ask Warhol if he could paint him, and he agreed.

By 1989 Burke's paintings of contemporary musicians began being featured on the pages of Rolling Stone magazine. Every 2 weeks the table of contents would showcase a Philip Burke interpretation of the person behind the music.

In the late 1990s, Burke's work would appear on the covers of Time magazine, and continues to be published in The New Yorker, Vanity fair and GQ.

When Tina Brown became editor of The New Yorker, she brought in Burke to work for her. Patricia Bradbury, former Art Director of Newsweek Magazine said "He is just phenomenal, he does the best caricatures I've seen, there is nobody else like him". New York Times art director Steven Heller says "Burke has changed the art form. He uses paint in a way that no other cartoonist I know uses it and in fact breaks from the tradition of caricature.

Burke's work has been exhibited in a partnership with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. The exhibit, The Color of Rock: The Art of Philip Burke, was on view at the Rock Hall from November 2006 to April 2007. The exhibit now travels throughout the United States. His original works, mainly in oil, encompass canvases from 40 inches to 12 feet in length. His subject matter has included rock performers, royalty, newsworthy politicos and entertainers from all over the globe.

His work can also be viewed in the traveling Rock & Roll Hall of Fame exhibit, featured galleries throughout the US and on occasion in a "live painting" where the artist himself embellishes original or limited edition reproductions of his art.

Philip Burke is an artist whose work has been selected for shows and exhibits by artist's organizations such as Society of Illustrators, Society of Publication Design and Society of Newspaper Design.

In 2002, Burke's passion for rock and roll was displayed in an eight-foot guitar on which he depicted Pete Townshend on one side and Shirley Manson on the other. The guitar, which was Rolling Stone's entry into Cleveland's Guitar Mania exhibit, was dubbed "Smash Hit" and displayed upside down, being held by steel arms about to smash it to the floor. The guitar was on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame until it sold at a United Way auction for $30,000.00. There's a lot of rock and roll in Philip Burke and a lot of Philip Burke in rock and roll.

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