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Gersten, Gerry Born. 1927

Gerry Gersten original cartoon artwork
 
Gersten grew up in the Bronx, born to Polish Jewish immigrant parents who did not believe in him becoming a cartoonist. “I remember once picking up a copy of Life Magazine and saying to them, ‘A page in this magazine would cost an advertiser $50,000, of course you can make a living in this field,’” he recalls. “But I could not persuade them. They wanted me to be an accountant.” Gersten drew hundreds of illustrations for publications such as The New York Times, New York Magazine, Time, Newsweek, Harpers, Rolling Stone, Harper's, Esquire and Playboy. His work also adorned many record covers for RCA. In 1986, he began working for MAD Magazine drawing political caricatures of public figures, for MAD's brand of satire.