Description:
Alexey Brodovitch, a pioneer of magazine design. Alexey Brodovitch is one of the leading figures in graphic design in the United States from 1930 on, helping give the role of artistic director its modern status. In 1934 he was invited by Carmel Snow to work on Harper’s Bazaar, where he introduced graphic innovations first developed in Europe. In fashion photography, he encouraged a natural and spontaneous style in keeping with the dynamic image of the modern woman. In the lay-out of the magazine’s pages he was particularly attentive to the relationships between text and image, creating dynamic effects which are often close to those used in the cinema. He had the knack of finding the most gifted young artists of his day and under his direction the magazine not only published many young photographers later to become famous, but also served a showcase for modern European art. In 1950 and 1951 Brodovitch launched and directed Portfolio, a non-commercial review which gave his creativity free reign and became an inspiration for several generations of graphic artists. Through his own career and through his activities as a teacher, Brodovitch is clearly one of the most influential figures in the visual arts in the USA from 1945.