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Auction To Benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS & The Al Hirschfeld Foundation Opens

May 13, 2024

Twenty limited-edition prints from legendary caricaturist Al Hirschfeld, are part of an auction to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and The Al Hirschfeld Foundation. The instantly recognizable works, published in extremely small editions, are signed by the Broadway and Hollywood icons featured.

The stars who hand-signed these one-of-a-kind prints are Alan Alda, Julie Andrews, Kevin Bacon, Cher, Michael Crawford, Ellen Greene, Joel Grey, Mark Hamill, Jessica Lange, Jose Llana, Donna McKechnie, Ian McKellen, Liza Minnelli, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, Chita Rivera, Linda Ronstadt, Lea Salonga, Patrick Stewart, Christopher Walken and John Williams.

Alan Alda, M*A*S*H, by Al Hirshfeld
Alan Alda, M*A*S*H, by Al Hirshfeld

The auction began on May 9, and will continue through Wednesday, May 22.

Among the signed and numbered lots featured in the Hirschfeld auction are:

●      The legendary Chita Rivera, who passed away in January, appearing alongside Dick Van Dyke in the leading roles of Rosie Alvarez and Albert Peterson in Bye Bye Birdie. The exclusive giclée is signed by Rivera.

●      Academy, Emmy and Grammy Award winner Julie Andrews, forever memorialized by Hirschfeld in her iconic star turn as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, opposite Rex Harrison. Andrews signed this precious memento.

●      Tony, Oscar and Emmy winner Ian McKellen, featured from his run as Edgar in the celebrated 2001 Broadway production of Dance of the Death. McKellen generously signed this piece of Broadway history.

●      Tony and Oscar winner Jessica Lange, currently a 2024 Tony nominee for Mother Play, illustrated in Tennesse Williams’ classic A Streetcar Named Desire. This special work is signed by Lange.

Hirschfeld’s drawings stand as one of the most innovative efforts in establishing the visual language of modern art through caricature in the 20th century. A self-described “characterist,” Hirschfeld’s signature work, defined by a linear calligraphic style, appeared in virtually every major publication over nine decades (including a 75-year relationship with The New York Times), as well as numerous book and record covers and 15 postage stamps. Hirschfeld, a two-time Tony Award recipient, died in 2003 at the age of 99. Later that year, Broadway’s Martin Beck Theatre was renamed the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, currently home to Moulin Rouge! The Musical.

“No artist or artistic style more singularly signifies the Broadway community more than Al Hirschfeld,” Broadway Cares Executive Director Tom Viola said. “Our ongoing collaboration with the Al Hirschfeld Foundation and the generosity of Hirschfeld collectors and Broadway enthusiasts old and new will provide people across the country facing critical illness and crisis with meals and medication, health care and hope for months and years to come.”

“For years, Hirschfeld admirers have asked for these images be published as prints. Having the performers, who felt honored to be drawn by The Line King, return the favor by signing these very limited editions is a tribute to how much Hirschfeld and Broadway Cares means to this community.” said David Leopold, the Creative Director of the Al Hirschfeld Foundation. “This year we have ten Tony winners in the group. Some like Donna McKechnie in A Chorus Line, Michael Crawford in Phantom of the Opera, and Joel Grey in Cabaret are drawn in the roles they won their Tonys for. This is an incredible award-winning collection.”

The partnership between Broadway Cares and the Al Hirschfeld Foundation was conceived and brokered by The Erlick Group, a leading, New York-based entertainment sponsorship agency since 1992.


Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the philanthropic heart of Broadway, is one of the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of the American theater community, since 1988 Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS has raised more than $300 million for essential services for people with HIV/AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States. Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is the major supporter of the social service programs at the Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actors Fund), including The Friedman Health Center for the Performing Arts, the HIV/AIDS Initiative and the Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative. Broadway Cares provides annual grants to more than 450 AIDS and family service organizations in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., providing lifesaving medication, healthy meals, counseling and emergency assistance. At times of crisis, Broadway Cares also awards one-time humanitarian grants to provide emergency aid across the US and around the world. For more information, please visit Broadway Cares online at:

The mission of The Al Hirschfeld Foundation is to promote interest in the theater and visual arts by supporting non-profit museums, libraries, theaters and similar cultural institutions. The Foundation fulfills its mission through grants and exhibitions of Hirschfeld’s art. The Foundation maintains an extensive collection of Hirschfeld artworks and lends and/or donates pieces to institutions all over the world. Another primary mission is arts education, which the Foundation does primarily with the Hirschfeld Arts Curriculum. Created in conjunction with the New York City Board of Education, The Hirschfeld Arts Curriculum is an innovative visual/performing arts education program based on Hirschfeld’s art to engage students K through 12 in a variety of arts activities. Our programs encourage writing, reading, researching, observing, movement and performance to learn about the arts, its history, and the opportunities for education and employment in the arts field. The web based Al Hirschfeld curriculum is easy to use, and is intended to be a free resource for teachers and students. To see more than 7,000 Hirschfeld images, and to find out the latest Hirschfeld news please visit:

Bid on a Signed Print Here