He was born on 12 May 1901 in the Jewish family of the owner of the Berger Hotel in Prešov. He developed his artistic talent during his studies in Prague, Paris and Berlin, where he was employed by one of the largest daily newspapers. As a journalist, he attended the trial of Hitler in Munich in 1923 after his failed putsch attempt. After Hitler came to power, he had to flee Germany. He stayed briefly in Budapest, Paris and Geneva, where he attended meetings of the League of Nations.
In 1935 he settled in London and began working for the Daily Telegraph. After World War II, he moved to New York, USA, and published in prestigious newspapers and magazines such as the New York Times, the New York Herald Tribune, Life magazine and Le Figaro. In the 1950s, Berger attended United Nations assemblies and drew almost every important leader who appeared there. He portrayed monarchs and famous personalities and film stars in the same idiosyncratic way.
He created caricatures of Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Dwight Eisenhower, Vyacheslav Mikhailov Molotov, Albert Einstein, John Paul II, Thomas S. Elliot, Laurence Olivier, Greta Garbo, Charlie Chaplin, Vivien Leigh and many others. He has captured them all with elegant pencil strokes, with an eye for the uniqueness of the person and the characteristic detail. Alongside his cartoons, he was also a cartoonist of political jokes.
His prolific work produced several books such as Famous Faces - From the Cartoonist's Sketchbook (1950), My Victims - How to Make a Cartoon (1952), Presidents - From Washington to the Present (1968). Berger's work is also on permanent display at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC. Berger died on May 15, 1997, in New York City.
Source: Regional Library P. O. Hviezdoslav in Prešov; Micro-project.
Photo source: By unknown photographer - Original publication: unknown when, where or how first publishedImmediate source: https://spartacus-educational.com/ARTberger.htm, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=76151688
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world cartoonist
