Burger / Maven

01

The artwork

Joe Mansfield painted this diptych as two separate square canvases. Eugene Burger occupies the left panel, recognizable by his round glasses and beard. Max Maven occupies the right, with his closely shaven head, dark eye makeup, and direct stare. Only part of each face is shown. Across the narrow gap, the two halves behave like one divided portrait without pretending that these famously individual thinkers were interchangeable.

The nearly monochrome palette and deep black grounds strip away stage scenery and apparatus. Light falls most strongly across the foreheads and eyes, turning expression into the principal drama. On Maven’s panel, the word ‘BOO’ appears in low-contrast vertical lettering. It is present without becoming a caption, a quiet bit of theatrical mischief at the edge of the composition.

These are original hand-painted canvases by Joe Mansfield, not reproductions.

02

The performer

Eugene Burger was an influential close-up magician, teacher, writer, and thinker whose work joined strong technique to careful attention, mystery, and meaning. Max Maven, born Philip Goldstein, was a leading mentalist, author, consultant, and historian admired for both invention and an exacting respect for the record of magic.

Eugene Burger was gay, something widely known within the magic community, including among his friends and colleagues. Theatre founder Vince Wilson, who knew him personally, recalls that Burger rarely discussed his sexuality publicly, aware of the prejudice gay performers could face.

Max Maven’s extraordinary mind helped shape modern mentalism. His inventiveness, precision, and prolific development of magic earned the admiration of friends and colleagues around the world. He guarded his private life closely. His death from brain cancer was an especially poignant loss for those who knew how much that mind still had to give.

Mansfield is both a magician and a visual artist, which matters here. The paintings do not illustrate tricks. They study two faces that helped shape how modern magicians think about performance. These original paintings are available for sale. Ask Poe’s Magic Theatre staff for current availability and contact information for the artist.

“Two distinct voices, held together by one deliberate gap”