Al Hirschfeld's chair & desk going to NYC library

[January 26, 2011]  NEW YORK (AP) -- Show-biz caricaturist Al Hirschfeld immortalized the world of theater with his drawings while sitting in a barbershop chair behind an old desk at his Manhattan studio.

Now, eight years after his death, his widow is donating the artifacts to the Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center.

Theater historian Louise Hirschfeld Cullman married Hirschfeld in 1996.

Hirschfeld Cullman says she feels the pieces belong in the library because Hirschfeld's main focus was New York City and the theater. They'll be permanently displayed in the library's lobby.

Its executive director, Jacqueline Davis, says thousands of people a month walk through the library door. She says they'll now be able to discover Hirschfeld and his creativity.

The items are being unveiled at a reception Tuesday night.

[Associated Press; By ULA ILNYTZKY]

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