Kuper's interest in the world around him enabled him to draw influence from different sources, and he just happened to live in the same city as comic artist Harvey Pekar (1939–; see entry). When he was thirteen, Kuper met fellow Clevelander Pekar, who in turn introduced him to R. Crumb (1943–). Pekar and Crumb are among the top comic artists of their time, and their artistic sensibilities greatly impacted on Kuper as he developed his own creative voice. "As far as (other) influences, there are about a million," Kuper noted. They include artists (Norman Rockwell, Saul Steinberg, Lynd Ward, Jack Kirby, Ralph Steadman, and the makers of "the African masks on my wall"); writers (J. D. Salinger, Kurt Vonnegut, John Steinbeck); artist-writers (Dr. Seuss); photographers (Diane Arbus); filmmakers (Alfred Hitchcock, Robert Altman); and rock musicians and groups (The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Frank Zappa, Pink Floyd, XTC, Naughty by Nature).
2014 Gift of William Busta and Joan Tomkins
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About the artist
Peter Kuper
Kuper's interest in the world around him enabled him to draw influence from different sources, and he just happened to live in the same city as comic artist Harvey Pekar (1939–; see entry). When he was thirteen, Kuper met fellow Clevelander Pekar, who in turn introduced him to R. Crumb (1943–). Pekar and Crumb are among the top comic artists of their time, and their artistic sensibilities greatly impacted on Kuper as he developed his own creative voice. "As far as (other) influences, there are about a million," Kuper noted. They include artists (Norman Rockwell, Saul Steinberg, Lynd Ward, Jack Kirby, Ralph Steadman, and the makers of "the African masks on my wall"); writers (J. D. Salinger, Kurt Vonnegut, John Steinbeck); artist-writers (Dr. Seuss); photographers (Diane Arbus); filmmakers (Alfred Hitchcock, Robert Altman); and rock musicians and groups (The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Frank Zappa, Pink Floyd, XTC, Naughty by Nature).