Untitled Document

Robert Crumb was born in Philadelphia, PA on August 30, 1943. Though he never studied art nor had any formal teaching, he began drawing at an early age. While still in his early teens, he and his brother drew single issue comics for fun. Among these was "Fritz the Cat" which Robert would later draw for Harvey Kurtzman's "Help" magazine. He moved to San Francisco in 1966 and almost immediately began interaction with many other blossoming artists including Rick Griffin, Spain Rodriguez, S.Clay Wilson and Victor Moscoso. It was not long before their creative minds were tapped by San Franciscan's Don Donahoe and Charles Plymell and "Zap Comix" #0 was published in 1967. A smash hit, Crumb and the other artists became overnight sensations.Robert Crumb has become an icon of popular culture since breaking onto the scene with Zap #0. His crude "bigfoot" style, influenced by Kurtzman, George Herriman, E.C. Segar, Cliff Sterrett, Bud Fisher and comic great Basil Wolverton, infused with overt sexual release in contrast with his own self-repression have in them an insightful view of the American psyche of the late fifties anbd early sixties era. Crumb is one of those partially responsible for the lifting of previously unchallenged theorum of the "Father Knows Best" era.