Ralph Steadman illustrations touring nation

“Ralph Steadman: And Another Thing” spans more than 60 years of the artist’s life and artwork. Showcasing Steadman’s creative passion, collaborations and ongoing evolution, the exhibition at American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center, Washington, D.C., presents works from his early years as a student to his political illustrations, social commentary and activism.

As one of the most influential illustrators and comic artists of the last six decades, Steadman is famous for his long collaboration with Hunter S. Thompson, notably illustrating “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.” Through their storytelling, in which the topic becomes almost secondary to the personality of the artists and work, a new way of covering news was born. In Gonzo journalism, as named by “Boston Globe” journalist Bill Cardoso, journalists use first-person narratives in reporting. The influence of Gonzo journalism is evident in today’s online news sources, editorial pieces, social media, videos, political punditry and podcasts.

The unprecedented exhibition, on view September 7 through December 8, 2024, features a selection of 149 original artworks as well as ephemera, including Steadman’s sketchbooks, children’s books, magazines, personal photographs and handwritten notes that tell a fuller story of how the artworks were born. Beautiful works from “The Gonzovation Trilogy,” his collaboration with documentarian and filmmaker Ceri Levy about extinct and endangered birds and animals, sit alongside his more experimental collections such as Paranoids, caricatures of notable figures from history, entertainment and politics that Steadman created by reworking Polaroid photographs.

Works on display will include iconic illustrations for all ages, including Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland,” Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island,” Kurt Baumann’s “Dozy and Hawkeye” and Steadman’s “The Little Red Computer” and “That’s My Dad.”

Visitors will engage with art depicting famous writers and musicians and keen observations on politics and society, demonstrated through Steadman’s series of portraits of United States presidents. “Vintage Dr. Gonzo,” a life-size bronze sculpture by Jud Bergeron, will also be touring with the exhibition.

“Don’t think about style; just think about drawing honestly, trying to express something about a particular subject, model or whatever it is you are drawing. Style will get in the way,” Ralph Steadman said.

The exhibition is co-curated by Sadie Williams, director of the Ralph Steadman Art Collection, and Andrea Lee Harris, curatorial and exhibitions coordinator.

Following the presentation at the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center in Washington, D.C., the exhibition will travel to the Oklahoma State University Museum of Art in Stillwater, Oklahoma (January 21-May 10, 2025); the Bates College Museum of Art in Lewiston, Maine (June 6-October 10, 2025); and the Barry Art Museum at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia (dates unconfirmed). It will also tour the West Coast through the fall of 2027.

About the Artist

Ralph Steadman was born in Wallasey, England in 1936 and is one of his generation’s most prolific and provocative artists. His long collaboration with Hunter S. Thompson redefined journalism with far-reaching and indelible changes in how news is presented.

He has illustrated numerous award-winning books, including Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland,” “The Grapes of Ralph: Wine According to Ralph Steadman” and “Untrodden Grapes” as well as “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” in collaboration with Thompson, which spawned two film adaptations and contributed to Steadman’s cult status. He also authored inventive books such as “I, Leonardo” and “The Big I Am.” He is an active artist today and continues to influence artists from around the globe.

About American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center

The American University Museum is a three-story public museum and sculpture garden located within American University’s Katzen Arts Center. The region’s largest university facility for exhibiting art, the museum has a permanent collection that includes the Corcoran Legacy Collection, Watkins Collection and Rothfeld Collection. Rotating exhibitions emphasize regional, national and international contemporary art. The Katzen Arts Center, named for Washington-area benefactors Dr. and Mrs. Cyrus Katzen, brings all the visual and performing arts programs at American University into one space.

Designed to foster interdisciplinary collaboration in the arts, the Katzen includes the museum, the Abramson Family Recital Hall, the Studio Theatre, a dance studio, an electronics studio, artists’ studios, rehearsal space and classrooms.

For more information, call 202-885-5950 or visit www.american.edu/cas/museum. Follow the museum on Facebook (facebook.com/AmericanUniversityMuseum), on Twitter (@AUMuseum_Katzen) and on Instagram (AUMuseum_Katzen).