Exhibitions

Saul Steinberg (Râmnicu Sărat, Romania, 1914 – New York, 1999) was an artist of exceptional singularity. Defining the nature of his work is like the man in one of his drawings, eager to catch a question mark with a butterfly net. Best known for his work published on the covers and inside pages of The New Yorker, Steinberg is much more than that: he is essentially “a writer who draws”, an artist who shifts between signs, genres, and boundaries, creating his own language that maintains an open dialogue with the “reader”.

The shifting nature of his work also reflects his life, era, and personality. The title of the exhibition, “Saul Steinberg, el signo errante” (“the wandering sign”) relates to this characteristic. It originates from the essay of the same name by Alicia Chillida, guest curator together with Francesca Pellicciari, Manuel Fontán del Junco, and Aida Capa of “Saul Steinberg, artista”, the largest retrospective dedicated to the artist so far, organised by the Fundación Juan March in 2024 and the source of this exhibition.

Divided into ten themed sections, “Saul Steinberg, el signo errante” traces the artist’s life and work through a hundred pieces, including drawings, paintings, engravings, collages, magazines, books, photographs, audiovisual works and three-dimensional works. The collection displays the many facets of an exuberant and diverse legacy, where sophisticated humour, playful exploration, and reflective critique are intertwined.

All the works in the exhibition originate from the Steinberg collection of the Fundación Juan March, recently donated by The Saul Steinberg Foundation. “Saul Steinberg, el signo errante” is a co-production of the Ja! Festival and the Fundación Juan March, with the support of The Saul Steinberg Foundation and sponsorship from Iberdrola.

We invite you to explore a captivating iconography featuring contemplative cats, tyrannical crocodiles, menacing pinecones, expressive masks, maps of imaginary cities, and labyrinths of signs where images transform into words and then into architecture.

In Steinberg’s distinctive graphic universe, every line reflects thought and every shape narrates a story.

A partner of the festival since 2022, when we dedicated our first retrospective to him, Primer asalto, graphic artist Javier Jaén is once again participating in Ja! 2025, and not only as the creator of the poster for this edition.

The exhibition “Javier Jaén x The New Yorker” brings together some of the works created for the century-old magazine.

It will be on display at several Bilbao Metro stations from 1 October until the end of 2025.