David Byrne and Saul Steinberg Meet Across Generations at 125 Newbury in Tribeca
On view May 28 through August 1, 2026, 125 Newbury presents David Byrne/Saul Steinberg: Influence and Affinity, a two-person exhibition that places works on paper, prints, and collages by the Romanian-American artist Saul Steinberg in direct conversation with drawings and a new series of large-format textile banners by David Byrne. The show is on view at 395 Broadway in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood, Tuesday through Saturday, 10 AM to 6 PM.
The exhibition spans nearly five decades of output from each artist: Steinberg’s works on paper, wood, and canvas from 1949 to 1996, and Byrne’s drawings from 2006 to the present, including a debut series of vibrant embroidered silk banners made this year. Highlights include an important suite of six Steinberg drawings comprising a panoramic cityscape and Byrne’s new banner works, which echo the ceremonial regalia of fraternal organizations like the Masons and Odd Fellows, incorporating vintage trims, tassels, and hand-embroidered imagery. The installation is arranged to foreground the artists’ shared visual sensibilities: a bold economy of line, wry humor, and a fascination with the signs and symbols of modern life.
Steinberg, who became one of the defining visual voices of the postwar era through his decades-long association with The New Yorker, used drawing as a form of philosophical inquiry, navigating city scenes, still lifes, and portraits in ink, watercolor, and ready-made materials. Byrne, best known as the founding frontman of Talking Heads, has developed a parallel visual practice across drawing, photography, installation, and design over more than five decades. In his own words: “I became aware of Steinberg’s drawings in magazines when I was young. Profoundly clever, humorous and inventive, it seemed to me that they were illustrations, but at the same time they transcended ‘mere’ illustrations… I realized some things might be able to be expressed better in a drawing rather than a song.”
Show: David Byrne/Saul Steinberg: Influence and Affinity
Artists: David Byrne, Saul Steinberg
On View: May 28 – August 1, 2026
Venue: 125 Newbury, 395 Broadway (at Walker Street), New York, NY 10013
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 10 AM – 6 PM
Website: 125newbury.com
Instagram: @125newbury
Contact: press@125newbury.com
