Hirschfeld's Music

» City Winery, New York
Exhibition Dates: 
Mon, 2023-09-18 to Fri, 2023-12-15
“Most 21st centurions will never realize how dope this cat is.”

Al Hirschfeld recorded more popular music than any MP3, CD, tape, or LP ever did. From Louis Armstrong to Neil Young; from Gershwin to the Grateful Dead; and from Quincy Jones to the Rolling Stones, Hirschfeld played with them all.

For the first time, Hirschfeld’s nine decades of music art are gathered in an exclusive exhibition at the flagship City Winery at Chelsea Piers in New York City. Whether that music was onstage at the Apollo, on a Broadway stage, a recording studio, or an after-hour jam session, Hirschfeld caught the essence of the players and the scene in a line as supple and rhythmic as any one he heard. The 28 prints in the exhibition prints give viewers, then and now, a real sense of the performance and personality of the music and the musicians.

In conjunction with the exhibition, for a limited time, a set of 12 wine labels are being featured exclusively on City Winery’s signature Pinot Noir. These labels feature iconic musicians such as Bob Dylan, Diana Ross, Bruce Springsteen, Alicia Keys, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Prince and more. You can buy the wines directly from City Winery at their location or online.

The exhibition launched with a special live event on September 18th with Hirschfeld Foundation Creative Director David Leopold leading a live multimedia presentation. While stunning Hirschfeld images appeared on a large screen on stage, Leopold shared stories from Hirschfeld's legendary career, including how he helped Duke Ellington deal with racism on tour and what happened hanging out with Aerosmith in the recording studio. Response to the event was so strong, that Leopold will return on November 20th to City Winery to do it again.