Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A study of the life and work of the graphic designer who created a new look in fashion publications and whose teaching inspired the design profession.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

``Astonish me!'' was Alexey Brodovitch's constant admonition to the artists, photographers and designers he directed through his long career as a pacesetter of graphic design. As art director of Harper's Bazaar from the depths of the Depression to the high plateau of Eisenhower optimism, he changed the role of graphics and the graphic artist in daily life. In this strikingly handsome book, Grundberg, photography critic for the New York Times , chronicles his subject from dashing Russian emigre to dean of American art directors. A case can be made that as a theorist Brodovitch anticipated the work of Moholy-Nagy, but he wrote little, preferring to devote himself to his work and his many proteges. Besides discussing and unveiling Brodovitch's designs and photos--including a brilliant set for the Ballets Russes--the author also sets the work of such master photographers as Avedon, Penn, Brassai and Cartier-Bresson in context. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

CHOICE Review

Alexey Brodovitch, one of America's legendary graphic designers, has his career as art director and teacher conscientiously documented by Grundberg. Brodovitch's fame comes largely from Harper's Bazaar, where he was hired in 1934 by editor Carmel Snow to reshape and renew the look of the magazine. During the 24 years of his talented direction, Harper's Bazaar became immensely popular as it heralded the latest fashion with distinctive and elegant layouts. Brodovitch's devotion to the avant-garde in art brought uniqueness to each page. By challenging his creative staff to "astonish" him he pushed and prodded them, bringing notoriety to such photographers as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Richard Avedon, and Irving Penn. And through his artistic manipulation of type, photography, and space, he molded the look of women in the 1940s and '50s. Thus, Brodovitch gave the printed page and the fashionable woman distinctive style in a manner that changed magazine design forever. Students, scholars, and professionals from the fields of advertising, fashion design, and graphic design will be delighted and enlightened by this publication, which is an impressive first in a series of critical biographies called "Masters of American Design." -M. LaPorte, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo