SVA Archives

July 01, 2019

Milton Glaser's Early Book Covers

Milton Glaser's early book covers, done not long after he founded Push Pin Studios with Seymour Chwast, served as a kind of laboratory for the techniques and styles he was exploring in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Book jacket for The Cook with extended Giacometti-like black ink figure with chef's hat on a bright green background.

February 16, 2016

Delpire

Robert Delpire and Push Pin Studio’s mutual admiration resulted in exhibitions in both New York and Paris.

October 28, 2015

Identified Flying Objects

Milton Glaser’s surreal landscapes for Hangar Design Group.

August 04, 2015

65 Self-Portraits

65 Self-Portraits is one of the best documented of the remarkable series of exhibitions organized by Shirley Glaser while she was director of SVA’s Visual Arts Gallery, 1964-1969.

July 21, 2015

Milton Glaser’s cover for Aaron Lightman’s self-titled LP

This amazing LP from 1969 is one of the most beautiful hidden gems in the field of pop arranged singer-songwriters. Originally issued on Poppy Records, home of psych heads The Mandrake Memorial among others, Lightman’s LP deserves to be discovered by all the fans of the soft rock, orchestra arranged sounds. Think of an American reply to the early works of Duncan Browne, Bill Fay, Nick Garrie or even Donovan at his most popsike recordings. Fans of the early Bee Gees will also enjoy this LP! Credit for the arrangements and production goes to the great Ron Frangipane and David Christopher, who is also credited as a co-writer of the albums songs. The album came housed in a beautiful Milton Glaser sleeve (Glaser was the main designer at Poppy at that time) which the Wah Wah reissue respects, and featured an insert with the lyrics which is also reproduced on our reissue. Housed in quality sleeves and pressed in 180 gram thick black vinyl for the delight of the most discriminating audiophiles. Limited to 500 copies!

November 13, 2014

Skeleton key

Forever potent and still open to interpretation despite its ubiquity, the skeleton has surfaced many times in the early work of Milton Glaser.

October 21, 2014

Chinese Grocery

Really a sister project of Milton Glaser and Jerome Snyder’s Underground Gourmet column for New York magazine, Glaser’s “Chinese Grocery” poster sought to guide the uninitiated through a Chinatown market, in this case the no longer extant United Supermarket at 84 Mulberry Street.

September 21, 2014

Go ask Alice

In 1967, Milton Glaser, Seymour Chwast, and James McMullan produced psychedelic “travel” posters for an issue of The Push Pin Graphic.

August 29, 2014

Story arc

Milton Glaser got minimal for SVA’s 40th Anniversary logo.

August 17, 2014

Type cast

Some type-based design from Milton Glaser and Seymour Chwast.

August 01, 2014

All together now

Shades of Yellow Submarine in Gian Carlo Menotti’s sci-fi opera for children Help, Help, The Globolinks!

June 08, 2014

Don’t it drag on

Milton Glaser teamed with celebrated photographer Duane Michals in 1972 to create this metaphysical album cover for bluesy folkie Chris Smither.

May 31, 2014

The Elementary Doctor Watson

Milton Glaser created this album cover in 1972 for legendary guitarist and folk singer Doc Watson.

May 09, 2014

Cross-hatch

Milton Glaser explored an undersea terrain for Sports Illustrated in 1961.

April 12, 2014

They might be giants

Icons of culture and folklore are interpreted by the artists of Push Pin.

March 30, 2014

For the pleasure and edification of all

Before Push Pin Studios, before the Push Pin Graphic, there was the Push Pin Almanack.

March 25, 2014

Let me hear your balalaikas ringing out

The United States Information Agency deploys its secret weapon in the Cold War: designers and illustrators.

March 23, 2014

Milton’s menus, part 3: return to Subseries G

Descending into Series II, Subseries G, we take another look at some of Milton Glaser’s logos and menus for restaurants.

March 21, 2014

Childcraft

In 1970, Childcraft Education Corp. turned to Milton Glaser to design their flagship store at 150 E. 58th Street.

March 16, 2014

The Cook

Milton Glaser created this 1965 book jacket for The Cook, a satirical horror novel about a mysterious chef, Conrad Venn, who seduces and manipulates the wealthy Hill and Vail families with food.

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