Own this limited edition Orpheus Descending print created by legendary artist Al Hirschfeld and signed by Lois Smith. Lois Smith played Carol Cutrere in the original Broadway production of Orpheus Descending.
Artist: Al Hirschfeld
Title: ORPHEUS DESCENDING MAUREEN STAPLETON, CLIFF ROBERTSON, AND LOIS SMITH, 1957
Year created: 1957
Medium: Limited Edition Print
Edition: 2/10 prints
Height (inches): 15
Width (inches): 18
This piece is unframed
Signed by Lois Smith: front
Tennessee Williams’ Orpheus Descending was first presented on Broadway on March 17, 1957. The play is a modern retelling of the ancient Greek Orpheus legend and concerns the power of passion, art, and imagination. The story is set in a dry goods store in a small southern town marked by conformity, sexual frustration, and racism.
Albert “Al” Hirschfeld was an American artist best known for his simple black and white portraits of celebrities and Broadway stars. A self described “characterist,” his signature work, defined by a linear calligraphic style, appeared in virtually every major publication of the last nine decades; numerous book and record covers; and, 15 US postage stamps. His work is represented in public collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the National Portrait Gallery – Smithsonian Institution and Harvard’s Theater Collection. Hirschfeld was declared a Living Landmark by the New York City Landmarks Commission in 1996 and a Living Legend by the Library of Congress in 2000. The winner of two special Tony Awards for theatrical cartoons, Al was given the ultimate Broadway accolade on what would have been his 100th birthday. The Martin Beck Theater was renamed the Al Hirschfeld Theater.
Lois Smith is an American actress whose career spans eight decades. On stage, Smith has performed many times on Broadway, including in The Iceman Cometh, The Grapes of Wrath, Buried Child, and The Inheritance (Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play). On screen, she is known for her roles in East of Eden, Minority Report, Twister, The Nice Guys, Lady Bird, and many more. She was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 2007 for her significant contributions to the theatre.