Take a Walk to 125 Newbury, located at the corner of Broadway and Walker Street where you’ll discover Influence and Affinity, the unlikely connection between the visual work of musician and multi-disciplinary artist David Byrne and Saul Steinberg, the legendary self-described “writer who draws.” Generationally distant, Steinberg was born in 1914 in Romania, studied in Italy, and fled to New York, becoming a US citizen in 1943. Byrne, born 1952 in Scotland, grew up in Baltimore, MD. He co-founded the band Talking Heads in 1975 with fellow RISD students Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth. The band went on to release seven platinum and gold albums but disbanded in 1991. The Byrne-Steinberg association would remain a distant yet–to-happen until Arne Glimcher, the founder and chairman of Pace Gallery, returned to a version of his roots and opened 125 Newbury, named after Pace’s original 1960 Boston location.

Saul Steinberg, Untitled, 1951. © The Saul Steinberg Foundation/Artists Rights Society

Curation is often as much an art as the work itself. Always the visionary, Glimcher and 125 Newbury saw a unique correlation in the work of Byrne and Steinberg that appears to have been missed until now. I always appreciated Steinberg’s work, whether it was the cover or the inside pages of the storied New Yorker magazine – an appreciation shared by David Byrne. Steinberg’s skill as a draftsman had the ability to take us far beyond what could’ve been seen as mere illustration, allowing us to fully engage with the stories he was telling. The New Yorker gave his imaginative visualizations the room and opportunity to not only fit right in but to carry the spirit and message of the magazine. Using the influences of Surrealism and Dada together with a Pop modernism, Steinberg worked in a way that was both gestural and deliberate, presenting a narrative and asking questions while at the same time engaging in the work of a writer who draws. It was a uniquely personal form of social commentary without artifice or pretense – and that’s where the David Byrne connection comes in. 

David Byrne, Human Skyline (For Wall Drawing), 2025. © David Byrne, courtesy Pace Gallery

Many of us originally knew David Byrne as a member of Talking Heads, evolving from seminal CBGB-era, Punk-adjacent to 1980s New Wave sensation. His subsequent solo efforts and career have been equally far-reaching and wildly successful, earning him an Academy Award, a Grammy, and a Tony, as well as numerous other accolades. Then in 2020, along with the rest of the world, Byrne took a pandemic-induced pause, moved into semi-isolation, and allowed himself the time and opportunity to expand on his ability to draw. This re-awakening of sorts, accidental yet forced, resulted in an output of thoughtfully spirited line drawings and ideas along with a deep dive into cultural commentary, reflection and revelation. Byrne’s early art school days, followed by his career as a musician and songwriter, had already led him in numerous directions, and 2020 seemed to be a near-full-circle moment. 

David Byrne’s thoughtfully beautiful drawings, now on view at 125 Newbury, offer both counterpoint and context to the often freewheeling and fantastical nature of Saul Steinberg’s work. It’s in those moments of association that we find ourselves uncovering the unexpected relationship seen through Influence and Affinity.

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 David Byrne/Saul Steinberg

Influence and Affinity

Through August 1, 2026

125 Newbury at 395 Broadway, Tribeca, NYC

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Feature Image: Installation view, David Byrne/Saul Steinberg: Influence and Affinity, May 28 – Aug 1, 2026, 125 Newbury, New York. Artwork © David Byrne; Saul Steinberg, Untitled & The Saul Steinberg Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Richard Boch is the author of The Mudd Club Book. He is a regular contributor to GrandLife: Your Curated Mixtape To Downtown Culture.