ALEXEY BRODOVITCH
Philippe Soupault, Georges Tourdjman [introduction]
Philippe Soupault, Georges Tourdjman [introduction]: ALEXEY BRODOVITCH. Paris: Ministere de la Culture. First edition. Text in English and French. Quarto. Stiff white lettered glazed black wraps. 139 pp. Black and white images throughout. Slight lifting to laminate, otherwise a fine copy. Out-of-print. 8.5 x 11.75 perfect-bound softcover book with 139 pages profusely illustrated with black and white images, including photographs by Ricahrd Avedon, Irving Penn, Bill Brandt, Lisette Model etc. Designed by Allan Porter. Text by Philippe Soupault, Charles Reynolds, and Michel Maingois. Published on the occasion of the exhibition "Hommage a Alexey Brodovitch" in the Grand-Palais in Paris, 27 Octobre - 29 Novembre 1982.
Alexey Brodovitch (1898-1971) is a legend in graphic design: during his 25-year tenure as art director of Harper's Bazaar, he exerted tremendous influence on the direction of design and photography. A passionate teacher of graphic design, advocate of photography and collaborator with many prominent photographers, Brodovitch is often credited with having a major influence on the acceptance of European modernism in America. His use of assymetrical layouts, white space, & dynamic imagery changed the nature of magazine design. He was responsible for exposing everyday Americans to avant-garde artists by commissioning work from cutting-edge artists such as Cassandre, Dali, Cartier-Bresson, Man Ray, etc.
"Astonish me!" was Brodovitch's often quoted exhortation to students attending his "Design Laboratory" classes over the years. Though borrowing "etonnez-moi!" from the Russian ballet master Sergei Diaghilev, with this charge, Brodovitch indeed set in motion the application of the modernist ethos to American graphic design and photography.
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