Pat Oliphant, a prominent political cartoonist known for his incisive and often provocative commentary on American and international politics, died Monday at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He was 90. His son, Grant Oliphant, confirmed the death.

Born July 24, 1935, in Adelaide, Australia, Oliphant began his career in his home country before relocating to the United States in the mid-1960s. He quickly established himself as one of the nation’s most influential editorial cartoonists, known for his sharp wit and distinctive pen-and-ink style. His work was syndicated in hundreds of newspapers worldwide and garnered numerous accolades, including a Pulitzer Prize in 1967. Despite the honor, Oliphant expressed disdain for the award and frequently criticized the Pulitzer Board’s selections.

Oliphant’s cartoons spared few, lampooning presidents, politicians, religious leaders, and other public figures with an unflinching, often irreverent eye. His repertoire included portrayals of figures such as Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, and Barack Obama, employing satire that ranged from gallows humor to biting social critique. A favored motif was a tiny penguin—nicknamed "Punk"—who offered sardonic commentary alongside Oliphant’s drawings.

While Oliphant’s work was widely celebrated, it also sparked controversy. His cartoons addressing sensitive subjects, particularly those involving the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse scandals and Israel’s military actions, drew criticism from religious and civil rights groups. For example, a 2002 cartoon depicting predatory priests led to accusations of anti-Catholic bias, and his depiction of the 2008 Israeli offensive in Gaza was condemned by the Simon Wiesenthal Center for allegedly echoing Nazi propaganda techniques. Oliphant maintained that his work was free from political, racial, ethnic, or gender bias and that his satire was aimed equally at all sides.

After joining The Denver Post in 1965 and later The Washington Star in 1975, Oliphant became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1979. He shifted to independent syndication in the early 1980s, becoming the first major cartoonist to operate without a newspaper base, granting him full creative control. Over his career, his body of work was exhibited in museums, including the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and archived at the University of Virginia.

Oliphant also pursued other artistic media, creating bronze sculptures and oil paintings, often of political figures. He married three times and is survived by three children, two stepchildren, a brother, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Retiring in 2015, Oliphant briefly returned to cartooning after Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential victory, producing sharp critiques of the new administration. His legacy as a pioneering voice in political cartooning is marked by a blend of artistic skill, fearless commentary, and a willingness to court controversy.