Dylan
Artist
Milton Glaser
United States, 1929 - 2020
Date1967
MediumOffset Lithograph
Dimensions33 x 24 in. (83.8 x 61 cm)
ClassificationsPoster
Credit LinePoster House Permanent Collection
Object numberPH.5988
DescriptionDue to a serious motorcycle accident in 1966, Bob Dylan’s career was on pause. Wanting to continue to make money off of one of its most bankable stars, Columbia Records decided to release a “Greatest Hits” album of the singer’s work. To increase the record’s popular appeal, it commissioned Milton Glaser to design this poster that would be folded inside each of the six million albums. Inspired by Marcel Duchamp’s Self-Portrait In Profile (1957) in which the artist tore his profile from a piece of black paper, Glaser presents the stark silhouette of Bob Dylan against a white backdrop. The wild, electrically colored hair was inspired by Islamic miniature paintings. Some say that they can read the name “Elvis” in the curls of Dylan’s hair. When questioned about this, Glaser claimed it was unintentional. Dylan’s chin is tilted downward because the original sketch included a harmonica on a neck holder that the art director at CBS asked Glaser to remove. The simplified result has since become iconic.On View
Not on view
