Sample the Work of Alex Steinweiss, Inventor of Album Cover Art
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You don’t really think of anyone “inventing†the idea of putting graphics on an album cover, but Alex Steinweiss did just that in 1940. Before he figured out that Columbia Records’ releases would benefit from some bright graphic design, most discs were packaged in brown paper sleeves. And did he ever design: Drawing on Surrealism and clean modernist poster design, he gave Columbia’s sleeves, and later several other labels’, a completely distinctive look from the forties through the sixties. You can see an abundance of them in Alex Steinweiss: The Inventor of the Modern Album Cover, an LP-size retrospective just published by Taschen, with appreciations by album designer Kevin Reagan (Madonna’s Ray of Light) and famed graphic designer Steven Heller. (Steinweiss himself died on July 17, at the age of 94.) In this slideshow, we’ve asked Heller to offer commentary on some of Steinweiss’s most memorable work.
"Steinweiss's first album cover for Columbia was a nod to the European modern
sensibility," says Heller, "notably the combination of graphic and phot...
"Steinweiss's first album cover for Columbia was a nod to the European modern
sensibility," says Heller, "notably the combination of graphic and photographic elements. Also
distinct is the way the title is integrated into the design — a very modern
conceptual idea."
Rodgers & Hart, "Smash Song Hits." Richard Rodgers and the Imperial Orchestra. Columbia Records, 1940.
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Rodgers & Hart, "Smash Song Hits." Richard Rodgers and the Imperial Orchestra. Columbia Records, 1940.
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"Steinweiss did not invent surrealism, nor was he the first graphic designer to
apply the style or conceit. But consistent with much design of the th...
"Steinweiss did not invent surrealism, nor was he the first graphic designer to
apply the style or conceit. But consistent with much design of the thirties and forties,
he used the dislocation of graphic icons as a means of creating a narrative
collage. Beethoven was never so modern."
Ludwig van Beethoven, "Symphony No. 9."Felix Weingartner, conductor; vocal soloists, Vienna State Opera Chorus; The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Columbia Masterworks, 1944.
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Ludwig van Beethoven, "Symphony No. 9."Felix Weingartner, conductor; vocal soloists, Vienna State Opera Chorus; The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Columbia Masterworks, 1944.
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"Steinwiess was a fan of European poster designers, such as A.M. Cassandre, and
appropriated their approaches into his own work. This cover integrate...
"Steinwiess was a fan of European poster designers, such as A.M. Cassandre, and
appropriated their approaches into his own work. This cover integrates a
surrealist landscape with accessible visual iconography, and the result is a
beautifully moody piece that vividly conveys the essence of New York City."
George Gershwin, "Rhapsody in Blue." André Kostelanetz and his orchestra; Alec Templeton, piano. Columbia, 1941.
George Gershwin, "Rhapsody in Blue." André Kostelanetz and his orchestra; Alec Templeton, piano. Columbia, 1941.
"Steinweiss developed a fairly predictable graphic language with a variety of
unique accents. For this album, he diverged from his usual dark and aus...
"Steinweiss developed a fairly predictable graphic language with a variety of
unique accents. For this album, he diverged from his usual dark and austere color
palette for a more lively and loving hot pink."
Sergei Rachmaninoff, "Songs of Rachmaninoff." Jennie Tourel, mezzo-soprano; Erich Itor Kahn, piano. Columbia Masterworks, 1946.
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Sergei Rachmaninoff, "Songs of Rachmaninoff." Jennie Tourel, mezzo-soprano; Erich Itor Kahn, piano. Columbia Masterworks, 1946.
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"Most of the earlier album covers for Columbia were mini-posters. Steinweiss was aware
that records needed to be point-of-purchase selling tools. Thi...
"Most of the earlier album covers for Columbia were mini-posters. Steinweiss was aware
that records needed to be point-of-purchase selling tools. This, for Stravinsky's
opus, has a curious jazz sensibility to wake up the eye."
Igor Stravinsky, "Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring)." Igor Stravinsky, conductor; the Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York. Columbia Masterworks, 1944.
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Igor Stravinsky, "Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring)." Igor Stravinsky, conductor; the Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York. Columbia Masterworks, 1944.
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Alex Steinweiss in his studio, 2008.
"When necessary, Steinweiss drew upon folk imagery, which he then stylized with
his airbrush rendering to look contemporary yet recognizably historic...
"When necessary, Steinweiss drew upon folk imagery, which he then stylized with
his airbrush rendering to look contemporary yet recognizably historic."
Sergei Rachmaninoff, "Symphony No. 2." Artur Rodzinski, conductor; the Philharmonic- Symphony Orchestra of New York. Columbia Masterworks, 1944.
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Sergei Rachmaninoff, "Symphony No. 2." Artur Rodzinski, conductor; the Philharmonic- Symphony Orchestra of New York. Columbia Masterworks, 1944.
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"For this Beethoven concerto jacket, Steinweiss prefigured the psychedelic covers of 25 years hence — the same ones that knocked him out
of the music...
"For this Beethoven concerto jacket, Steinweiss prefigured the psychedelic covers of 25 years hence — the same ones that knocked him out
of the music business."
Ludwig van Beethoven, "Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat (Emperor)." Rudolf Serkin, piano; Bruno Walter, conductor; the New York Philharmonic. Columbia Masterworks, 1942.
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Ludwig van Beethoven, "Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat (Emperor)." Rudolf Serkin, piano; Bruno Walter, conductor; the New York Philharmonic. Columbia Masterworks, 1942.
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"The banker's script signature was decidedly more formal than the 'Steinweiss Scrawl,' which he used on many album covers. I believe he wanted an aura...
"The banker's script signature was decidedly more formal than the 'Steinweiss Scrawl,' which he used on many album covers. I believe he wanted an aura of authority by signing his name in this manner. What's more, he may have been the first designer to sign his album cover work."
Steinweiss' typeset logo appeared on hundreds of album covers for Columbia, Decca, London, Everest, and others from the 1940s-1960s.
Steinweiss' typeset logo appeared on hundreds of album covers for Columbia, Decca, London, Everest, and others from the 1940s-1960s.
"This is one of Steinweiss's most symbolically eloquent and graphically exquisite
works. The thin, condensed typography echoes the light coming throu...
"This is one of Steinweiss's most symbolically eloquent and graphically exquisite
works. The thin, condensed typography echoes the light coming through the
building windows. The color of the city is not in the skyscrapers but on the
street, where the tenements meet the El."
George Gershwin, "Concerto in F." Oscar Levant, piano; André Kostelanetz, conductor; the Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York. Columbia Masterworks, 1942.
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George Gershwin, "Concerto in F." Oscar Levant, piano; André Kostelanetz, conductor; the Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York. Columbia Masterworks, 1942.
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"How can an album cover designer not be tempted to play with his subjects?
The surreal conceits that Steinweiss used in a serious manner in the forti...
"How can an album cover designer not be tempted to play with his subjects?
The surreal conceits that Steinweiss used in a serious manner in the forties became
graphic playthings in the early sixties. This rare cover is the perfect evocation of
his sense of whimsy."
"Bing: A Musical Autobiography of Bing Crosby, 1927-1934." Bing Crosby with Buddy Cole and his trio. Decca Gold Label Series, 1961.
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"Bing: A Musical Autobiography of Bing Crosby, 1927-1934." Bing Crosby with Buddy Cole and his trio. Decca Gold Label Series, 1961.
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"After leaving the record business, Steinweiss continued to create images of
music. His later work became curiously more baroque, although in a perso...
"After leaving the record business, Steinweiss continued to create images of
music. His later work became curiously more baroque, although in a personally
stylized manner. He blended cartoon and decorative mannerisms to interpret, in
this case, his favorite opera."
"Turandot by Giacomo Puccini," from the Homage to Music series. Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 30 in., 1981.
"Turandot by Giacomo Puccini," from the Homage to Music series. Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 30 in., 1981.
"The Steinweiss Scrawl was a matter of form created for function. Rather than pay
for typesetting, he drew his own face, which soon became a signatur...
"The Steinweiss Scrawl was a matter of form created for function. Rather than pay
for typesetting, he drew his own face, which soon became a signature of his
work. He eventually sold the face to Photo Lettering Co. in New York, the
largest resource for photo typography."
First appearing on album covers as early as 1944, the Steinweiss Scrawl had become the artist's signature lettering by 1947. WIth increased use, Steinweiss developed a consistent alphabet and variety of weights, which were sold in the mid-'50s to Photo-Lettering, Inc.
First appearing on album covers as early as 1944, the Steinweiss Scrawl had become the artist's signature lettering by 1947. WIth increased use, Steinweiss developed a consistent alphabet and variety of weights, which were sold in the mid-'50s to Photo-Lettering, Inc.
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