Record sleeves are not just the packaging of “black discs” but they are an independent artistic factor. Cover design did develop into a relevant creative statement. Music meets photography, graphic design and fine arts. In the digital age – characterized by the disappearance of things and the increasing virtualization of everyday life – real, haptic, and thus tangible items are given new meaning.

This trend is connected to the longing for analog articles in general and the associated renaissance of records in particular. In the age of online and streaming services, printing facilities are being started up again. The exhibition “Vinyl Cover Art” shows outstanding examples of visual design from the past to the present. It is a journey through 50 years of extraordinary visual language and aesthetics for pop, rock, jazz and classical music. Many of them were once regarded as avant-garde, others document the conflict between individual artistic demands and the mass compatibility of millions of copies. Quite many designs have become icons of pop, but also icons of design. They have been imprinted in the collective memory of audiences and fans alike. Prominent and well-known works of contemporary history from the archive of the Graz-based record and media collector Heinz M. Fischer are shown as well as treasures of unknown artists whose names often stay unmentioned in the credits on record sleeves. The LP covers on display – all originals and not reprints – correspond to turntables from five decades. Many of the exhibits shown have long been art and cult objects: Design classics from yesterday & today.

As part of the exhibition and in cooperation with Austrovinyl GmbH, there will be a unique opportunity on 19 October to visit Austria’s only record press. Further information can be found here.

in cooperation with:
Heinz M. Fischer
FH JOANNEUM