Published: 15 November, 2007, 10:50
Edited: 15 November, 2007, 10:50
He was born in 1900, became famous in the 1920s, and was Hitler’s personal enemy because of his anti-Nazi work. Now a major showing of 107-year-old legendary cartoonist Boris Efimov's work has opened in Moscow.
The patriarch of soviet satire, Efimov can be called a witness to the entire 20th century. Its wild and tragic history is reflected in more than 30,000 of his caricatures.
The themes vary from social satire to political propaganda.
A retrospective display of his work has opened at Moscow's New Manege exhibition centre. The display is called “The twentieth century history in cartoons”.
Boris Efimov, cartoonistIt's not easy or funny to be a cartoonist. The task of a caricature artist is not just to make people laugh – cartoons can evoke really sad feelings. Our task is to make people think.
Around 250 drawings that give the feeling of an era gone by are on the display.
The organisers plan to bring it later to Europe, the U.S. and China.
Efimov wants the cartoons to act as warning to not repeat the fatal mistakes of the bloody twentieth century.
Today Efimov still works, making friendly jests and stunning everyone with his vigour and inimitable irony.