Bob Kane

Born Robert Kahn in New York City in 1915, Bob Kane changed his name legally at eighteen and launched a career that would transform American popular culture. He started as a trainee animator at Max Fleischer Studios in 1934, then moved into freelance comic book work in 1936, creating characters through Eisner & Iger for companies that would later merge to form DC Comics. In 1939, with colleague Bill Finger, Kane pitched his idea for “The Bat-Man” to DC Comics when he was only eighteen. Batman became one of the most popular comic books of all time, spawning animated, television, and cinematic features throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.
Kane’s unmistakable line work and bold, electric coloration in his classic characters Batman and Robin became a constant part of American consciousness. After retiring from DC Comics in 1966, he concentrated on fine art. His animated creations included “Courageous Cat” in 1958 and “Cool McCool” in 1974, and he wrote the screenplay for “The Silent Gun” in 1969. By 1996, Kane had been inducted into both the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame and the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame.
Kane’s Batman was included in the 1939 World’s Fair Time Capsule as an example of American culture. His works are held in many collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and St. John’s University in Jamaica, New York. He is represented by Park West Gallery.