Cover for Esquire Magazine, Issue no. 399, February 1967
©
All rights reserved
Museum of Modern Art 2009 United States
George Lois American, born 1931. Offset lithography
12 5/8 x 9 7/8" (32.1 x 25.1 cm). Gift of the designer
George Lois
The Esquire Covers
The Museum of Modern Art - MoMA
Friday 25 April 2008 to Monday 30 March 2009
From 1962 to 1972, George Lois changed the face of magazine design with his ninety-two covers for Esquire magazine. He stripped the cover down to a graphically concise yet conceptually potent image that ventured beyond the mere illustration of a feature article. Lois exploited the communicative power of the mass-circulated front page to stimulate and provoke the public into debate.
Lois’ covers pressed Americans to confront controversial issues like racism, feminism, and the Vietnam War. Viewed as a collection, the covers serve as a visual timeline and a window onto the turbulent events of the 1960s. Initially received as jarring and prescient statements of their time, the covers have since become essential to the iconography of American culture.
Organized by Christian Larsen, Curatorial Assistant, Research and Collections, Department of Architecture and Design.
The exhibition is supported by Douglas Lloyd.
The Philip Johnson Architecture and Design Galleries, third floor
Location
The Museum of Modern Art - MoMA11 West 53 Street
Midtown Manhattan Precinct
New York
United States
