Barry Blitt

Barry Blitt (born April 30, 1958 in Côte Saint-Luc, Quebec) is a Canadian-born American cartoonist and illustrator, best known for his New Yorker covers and as a regular contributor to the op-ed page of The New York Times. Blitt creates his works in traditional pen and ink, as well as watercolors.

Early life and education Blitt grew up in Côte Saint-Luc, Quebec, a municipality on the Island of Montreal. and moved to the US in 1989.

Work Blitt first began drawing political cartoons at the Toronto Magazine. He worked for ten years at Entertainment Weekly drawing half-page celebrity cartoons. Blitt's illustration work has also been featured by publications such as Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, The Atlantic and others.

Many of Blitt's New Yorker covers have been finalists for the Cover of the Year from the American Society of Magazine Editors, including, in 2008, Narrow Stance and I'll Get It!,First Anniversary in 2010, and The Book of Life in 2012. Since 2018, Blitt has been designing the program covers for Hunter Theater Project's productions, beginning with Richard Nelson's translation of Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya.

Awards and honors Blitt won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartoons "for his watercolor style and gentle caricatures of the personalities and policies that come from the Trump White House." Cover of the Year for Deluged published by The New Yorker, awarded by The American Society of Magazine Editors (2006) Art Directors Club, Hall of Fame (2012) Work showcased at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, the Royal Ontario Museum and the Museum of American Illustration in New York Titled The Politics of Fear, the cover satirized the rumors about Obama and his wife as he ran for the presidency.

The controversial art was covered by numerous media outlets, including the Los Angeles Times, PBS, the Houston Chronicle, and others. In defense of the art, Eric Bates of Rolling Stone was quoted as saying, "I don't think it (The New Yorker) crossed the line. I would question whether there's much of a line to be crossed. I think their intent was clear, but I think it's clear from the response that a lot of people didn't get the joke." Regarding the controversy, Blitt was quoted as saying "Anytime I produce a cover, I always regret it afterward".

The cover art was parodied later the same year by Entertainment Weekly, with a photograph by Jake Chessum featuring Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.

In spite of the controversy and condemnation by the Obama campaign, after taking office President Barack Obama chose one of Blitt's New Yorker covers to hang in the White House. The cover depicts the President picking the family dog at the same time as he is vetting candidates for his national security cabinet.