(September 11, 1904 – July 14, 1996)
Daniel Brustlein (1904–1996) was an Alsatian-born American artist, cartoonist, illustrator, and author of children’s books. He is best known for the cartoons and cover art he contributed to The New Yorker magazine under the pen name “Alain” from the 1930s through the 1950s. The novelist John Updike once said his childhood discovery of Brustlein’s cartoons helped to stimulate his desire to write for the magazine and one of Brustlein’s cartoons has been repeatedly cited for its skillful and witty self-reference. Although they have not received the same public acclaim as his humorous drawings, his paintings drew strong praise from influential critics such as Hilton Kramer, who said Brustlein’s work had great refinement showing “beautiful control over the precise emotion he wants it to convey” and “complete command of color and form handled with a remarkable delicacy and discretion.” In October 1960 a painting of Brustlein’s appeared on the cover of ARTnews and his reputation as a “painter’s painter” appeared to be firmly established after he was the subject of an article in that magazine four years later.