Career
His trademark is a small penguin character named Punk, who is often seen making a comment about the subject of the panel. In 1990, the New York Times described him as "the most influential editorial cartoonist now working". Oliphant"s career began in 1952 as a copy boy with the Adelaide News.
He worked as staff cartoonist for the Adelaide Advertiser until 1964, when he moved to the United States to take up a position with The Denver Post.
His strip was nationally syndicated and internationally syndicated in 1965. Will They?. Oliphant moved to the now defunct Washington Star for six years, until the paper folded in 1981.
Oliphant"s work has appeared in several exhibitions, most notably at the National Portrait Gallery. He has also crafted a series of small sculptures based on his caricatures of various political figures, which have been displayed alongside his drawings in some exhibitions.
His work is in the permanent collection of the New Mexico Museum of Art in Santa Fe.
Oliphant"s work, which from time to time employs ethnic caricatures, has been criticized occasionally. In 2001, the Asian American Journalists Association accused Oliphant of "cross the line from acerbic depiction to racial caricature". In 2005, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee expressed concern that some of Oliphant"s caricatures were racist and misleading.
In 2007, two Oliphant cartoons produced a similar response.
A cartoon about Israel"s conflict with Hamas in Gaza sparked criticism amongst some American Jews. The Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center, said the cartoon denigrates and demonizes Israel and mimics the Nazi propaganda.
lieutenant called on the New York Times and other media groups to remove the cartoon from their websites.