“My friend, it’s modern.”
This was the riposte of Alexander Liberman, the legendary Editorial Director of Conde Nast, whenever someone opposed or challenged his thinking.
A charming turn of phrase perhaps, but by many accounts Liberman was an absolute shit to work with during his 50-odd years at the publisher.
Generations of editors, photographers and art directors are said to have been scarred by his mercurial ways - tearing up, tossing out, and completely rethinking whole issues days before their deadlines. He completely redefined the way magazines were created and digested.
“Alex is evil—a dreadful being, a wretched murderous Russian of the blackest blood.” Conde Nast writer Leo Lerman didn’t hold back regarding his former colleague.
Liberman made his first impression as an art director in the early 1930s at VU, a French weekly magazine famous for its innovative use of photography that would influence more famous publications like Life and Paris Match in years to come.
His portfolio of high-impact covers, replete with a dynamic use of type and photography, established Liberman’s roots in the graphic avant-garde.
After escaping occupied France and traveling to New York, Condé Nast hired Liberman for the art department at Vogue – within a year he was the magazine’s art director.
He had a knack for finding impact in imagery and was a big believer in pairing the highs and lows of culture – declaring it to be the most modern thing one could do.
When he found an image or a treatment that he liked, he placed it big and bold in the magazine. There were few half measures – his layouts and covers and clear, methodical yet captivating.
Despite his massive ego and personal drive, he was incredibly collaborative and often sought out the best players in the industry to work with; particularly when it came to photographers. Cecil Beaton, Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton, David Bailey, and Annie Leibovitz all shot legendary covers for Liberman.
One Beaton image in particular stands out, featuring a model in a delicate, balletic pose with a fan in front of a giant Jackson Pollack is a wonderful encapsulation of erudite fifties culture.
Success at the magazines led to criticism of his artistic endeavors though;“I don’t think my art has been taken seriously by the art establishment” he said. Perhaps this was why he declared himself to be an anti-artist.
His career as an artist can almost be separated into two halves, though the trajectory was quite gradual. It began with incredibly minimalist, geometric paintings such as Minimum from 1949 which as the name suggests consists of a black square containing a thin white outline of a circle.
In his early beginnings simple pieces were created with a compass and carrying little to no hallmarks of his identity.
It was Anonymous Art.
The graphic style would eventually give way to more expressionistic methods, with splats and splashes on canvas in a multitude of colours, and monumental industrial sized sculptures made of intertwining pipes, girders and shards painted an arresting shade of cherry red.
One of his most notable public commissions was from the architect Philip Johnson, for the 1963 World’s Fair – remember him? He’s the guy who stole Le Corbusier’s glasses…amongst other things…allegedly.
“He was a modernist through and through, and he loved America’s hard edges, its planned obsolescences, its energy and vulgarity.” That’s a quote from James Truman, who briefly replaced Liberman at Conde Nast.
His influence was startling, especially considering the a sea of huge names and talents all vying for status from that era. But his approach to both his day job and his art life can offer brilliant lessons for us all. In particular, this list from Véronique Vienne, a former Conde Nast art director of things she learned from her time with Liberman makes inspiring reading:
“You need to be willing to destroy in order to create. To make it big. To find rather than fabricate. To be very polite with assistants – and to despise good taste.”
Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaashion, darlings.
Chic is a special kind of cool.
It’s on a higher plain.
Elegant and effortless.
But it doesn’t have to always be fashion, fashionable or style related.
Chic is a mindset.
You’ve got to think differently.
This is the most chic object I have ever seen.
Speaking of. You’ve come a long way baby.
A 1980s advert for a toilet.
The only one. Couldn’t do chic without Mossy.
There can be only one.
Flaws can be chic
Ironically throwing shade.
They got the shot.
Man oh man.
Cute can be chic.
Jil Sander is always chic. always.
Like. Duh.
Stunning.
Like, comment and subscribe etc!
Thanks for reading,
Jonathan ✌️
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