[78-L] RIP Alex Steinweiss

[Michael Biel]

On 7/20/2011 7:47 AM, David Lewis wrote:
> http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/20/business/media/alex-steinweiss-originator-of-artistic-album-covers-dies-at-94.html?_r=4&hpw
>
> Dr. Mike has proven that Steinweiss' claim to have "originated ... album covers" is at least a little suspect. But his passing is certainly a milestone worth observing, and I feel that his work was important.
>
> Uncle Dave Lewis uncledavelewis at hotmail.com 	

I agree that his passing is a sad event.  I always said that he was an 
inventive illustrator and that I had collected many of his covers -- it 
was just that he was not THE inventor or originator of the IDEA of 
having illustrations on album covers.  That was the theory of the 
overworked under-reseaercher Steven Heller who wrote this obit and did 
the titles and essatys for the two books on Steinweiss.  This guy has 
written waaaaayyyyy too many books and essays on art and has perhaps 
become very sloppy in researching his topics, at least in this case.

But I see signs that he has gotten at least part of the message I have 
been putting forth.  Note that he now says that " Most albums were 
unadorned,"  where he had previously not admitted that there had been 
any.  However he continues to show his lack of any first-hand research 
by stating next: " and on those occasions when art was used, it was not 
original."  This is based on a statement he read that Victor had used 
classic paintings on a few covers.  There are two or three where they 
did, but there are well over a hundred covers from the two or three 
years before Steinweiss' first cover which did have original artwork, 
photographs, and/or typography.  Heller has too much invested in his 
unresearched theory to give it up.

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com