William Auerbach-Levy

William Auerbach-Levy was born William Auerbach in Brest-Litovsk in Russia (now Brest, Belarus). His parents adopted the surname of Levy after their arrival in the United States of America when William was about five years old.

William Auerbach-Levy (as he became known) gained fame both as the pre-eminent caricaturist of his time and as a fine established painter and etcher. Amongst the many awards bestowed upon him for his art, William Auerbach-Levy received the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship in 1929. His works can be found in many of the leading American museum collections including the Library of Congress, Boston Art Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago. An extensive collection of his works was acquired for the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. as part of its permanent collection.