The New Yorker, January 22, 1996 P. 70
AT THE GALLERIES about Rea Irvin... The crucial role of "The New Yorker's" first art editor, Rea Irvin, in the magazine's history was acknowledged by Harold Ross at the outset, when he declared his desire to "get the prose of the magazine like the art." Irvin selected the body type, designed fonts and logos for the headings, and chose the spot drawings that punctuated the text. In addition he introduced the unsophisticated Ross to the most sophisticated artists of the day and persuaded him to publish their work. Ironically, Irvin's success as Ross's Virgil has overshadowed what he considered the more important aspect of his a career: his achievement as an artist. A show that includes some 80 of his works, at the Museum of the City of New York from January 24th to May 5th, provides a rare opportunity to savor that achievement. Among its delights are the cover for Jan. 2, m 1932 (above), and "The Card Game" (c. 1935), a cover that never ran. Irvin, like Ross, started in newspapers, and was an exceptionally versatile draftsman, producing spots, satiric drawings, spreads, caricatures, and covers. All are notable for their sinuous line and their exquisitely balanced composition. Irvin was a naturally sunny spirit, and his art evokes a world of confidence and gaiety, where one could enjoy, as he did, a fine cigar, a game of billiards, and the satisfaction of practicing a difficult craft extremely well.
