Born in Romania, he developed a deep rapport with Italy (and Milan in particular) when he began his studies at the Politecnico. He made many friends, but the most long-lasting and significant friendship was the one with Aldo Buzzi. After the racial laws were promulgated in 1938, in 1941 Steinberg was briefly imprisoned in the S. Vittore jail and later in an internment camp in Tortoreto. Later that same year, he fled to Lisbon on his way to Santo Domingo and eventually to the United States.
He returned to Italy as a soldier and US citizen in 1944, working with the Office of Strategic Services. After the war he worked with the BBPR studio and Ernesto N. Rogers. His drawings were published in Domus magazine. In Milan he produced a sgraffito mural for the walls of the “Children’s Labyrinth” at the X Triennale (1954) and another sgraffito mural for Casa Mayer in via Bigli (1961), which was unfortunately destroyed.
May 18–29, 2015
opening May 20, h.5.30 pm
Saul Steinberg a Milano
Curated by Ilaria Valente, Luigi Spinelli, Cassandra Cozza
Scientific Commitee: Ilaria Valente, Federico Bucci, Sheila Schwartz, Giangiacomo D’Ardia, Mario Tedeschini Lalli
Coordination, graphic design and set up by Cassandra Cozza with Gerardo Semprebon, in collaboration with Francesca Berni, Giorgia Colombo, Valerio Maria Sorgini, Greta Maria Taronna
In collaboration with Domus, Teche RAI, Archivio di Giovannino Guareschi – Roncole Verdi, Triennale di Milano
Technical sponsor Unifor
Politecnico di Milano
Spazio Mostre Guido Nardi
via Ampère 2, Milano