Crumb

Dan Nadel is the Steven and Ann Ames Curator of Drawings and Prints at the Whitney Museum of American Art. His previous books include, It’s Life as I See It: Black Cartoonists in Chicago, 1940–1980; Peter Saul: Professional Artist Correspondence, 1945–1976; and Art Out of Time: Unknown Comic Visionaries, 1900–1969. Nadel has curated exhibitions for galleries and museums internationally. He is the founder of PictureBox, a publishing and packaging company that produced over one hundred books, objects, and zines from 2000 to 2014, including the Grammy Award–winning design for Wilco’s 2004 album A Ghost Is Born. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his family.

A New York Times Notable Book of 2025 Named a Best Book of the Year by the New Yorker, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, and the LA Times Review of Books "A definitive and ideal biography—pound for pound, one of the sleekest and most judicious I’ve ever read."—New York Times "[A] comprehensive and lucid biography of comics luminary Robert Crumb…Those invested in learning more about the history of underground comics will find much to embrace."—Washington Post "[A] gripping and essential book… This [archival] material, as well as Nadel’s interviews with Crumb, gives his biography the kind of granular texture and thematic heft that Crumb’s life and work deserves."—Boston Globe "An artist biography that astutely connects the work to the life story without forcing or simplifying anything. It works as cultural history and criticism...Nadel honors the complexity of his subject, even, perhaps particularly, when it gets ugly."—LA Times "Affectionate but unsparing...Nadel [has] developed a deep knowledge of comics as both a writer and a curator."—New Yorker "This new biography from expert Dan Nadel traces Crumb’s turbulent life and far-reaching impact, explaining not only his unique talent, but also how he clawed out the space and money to create comics that were weird, satirical, and adult against the resistance of a conservative and stolid culture."—LitHub "Nadel’s book floats Crumb on the rapids of his times...Crumb gives us the reprobate who drew 'Life Among the Constipated' and 'The Family That Lays Together Stays Together,' as well as the domestic who enjoyed a long, fulfilling marriage to Aline Kominsky-Crumb, his wife and frequent collaborator, who died in 2022."—Harper's Magazine "Lavishly illustrated, with personal photos...Crumb is a terrific biography."—Toronto Star "Excellent, [a] comprehensive biography of the legendary comic artist."—Art in America "Dan Nadel’s biography of cartoonist Robert Crumb is unlikely to be equaled or surpassed...It is entirely to Nadel’s credit that he sustains a clear through-line throughout the 400+ pages of narrative—describing Crumb’s peripatetic life as a child and adult and, as a successful artist."—The Book Beat