His art was known for being unusual, Steinberg himself claiming that Picasso had nothing on him.
Sam Steinberg, an artist who was known to many of Columbia’s students, sold candy bars and art to many of the students who passed him by. Born in Brooklyn, he lived in Bronx with his sister, Pauline. He died in 1982 at age 85, but before he did, many students bought his paintings for one or two dollars or four or five dollars in the 1980’s.
His art was known for being unusual, Steinberg himself claiming that Picasso had nothing on him. However, he also admitted that one of the best places to find his art was in the trash can on moving day. Students frequently bought his pieces, only to throw them away before leaving campus.
Columbia University (pictured above) was where Mr. Steinberg was considered an “unofficial artist in residence.” Mr. Steinberg stated that the best places to find his art were in trash cans on graduation day.
However, when the 40 year reunion for the class of 1975 came around, the reunion chairs suggested that they bring back the “Sams,” as the paintings were known by the students of Columbia. 90 of the best Sams were displayed in a room at the university and about 150 people came. These were donated by fans of Sam Steinberg’s who had collected one or more of his paintings.
Disaster struck, however, when the paintings were packaged in cardboard and black plastic bags to be sent back to their owners. They were supposed to be removed from the room they were in by the Monday following the reunion, but were mistakenly left there. Subsequently, the paintings were thrown away. Once the university discovered this error, they tried to search for the paintings, but discovered the majority had been compacted. Only thirty paintings, which had already been picked up by their owners, remained.
