Alexey Brodovitch: Astonish Me
247 x 335mm, 174 pages (with slipcase)
Published in 2024
Published by: The Barnes Foundation
Graphic design: A Practice for Everyday Life
A large format, beautifully produced catalogue celebrating the work of influential art director Alexey Brodovitch, renowned for his work his design and art direction of US magazine Harper’s Bazaar for almost a quarter of a century (1934—1959). Published as part of an eponymous exhibition at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia (running till May 2024), it maps the trajectory of Brodovitch’s career covering advertising, graphic design, illustration, photography and art direction.
Inside, you'll find essays by exhibition curator Katy Wan, David Campany and Vince Aletti, as well as chapters dedicated to Brodovitch’s years in Paris, his 1945 photobook Ballet, the self-published Portfolio and of course, Harper's Bazaar, focussing on his collaborations with photographers across various editorials.
Presented in a hardback slipcase, the book is a beautiful piece of print itself, with bespoke typography riffing on the Ballet masthead and a size matching that of Harper's Bazaar during the Brodovitch era.