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| Alvin Lustig |
Lustig studied for one year at Los Angeles Community College and one year at the Los Angeles Art Center School. He also studied independently with architect Frank Lloyd Wright and artist Jean Charlot.
In 1937 he opened his own design office in Los Angeles, doing graphic and typographic design for book publisher Ward Ritchie. He also designed stationery and other printed pieces.
In 1944 he moved to New York to take a position as Director of Visual Research at Look magazine. He stayed there for two years and then returned to California to open a design office in Beverly Hills. In the late 1940s he expanded his architectural and interior design practice and produced lighting fixtures, fabrics and furniture. He also produced book jackets and magazine covers.
He moved back to New York in 1950 to work on projects with the Girl Scouts of America, American Crayon Company, Whitney Publications and Intercultural Publications, as well as several museums and art galleries.
By 1954 he had completely lost his sight as a result of diabetes and died the following year at age 40.
From rit.edu and alvinlustig.com
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| Program cover for World Inventors Exposition, 1947 grainedit.com |
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| Book jacket for The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams allmyeyes.blogspot.com |
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| Book jacket for The Man Who Died by D. H. Lawrence alvinlustig.com |
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| Book jacket for Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse muscroy.com |
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| Framed book jacket prints l to r: A Season in Hell by Arthur Rimbaud; Three Lives by Gertrude Stein; The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald; Amerika by Franz Kafka alvinlustig.com |
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| Design for Girl Scouts of America nothing-is-new.com |
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| Beverly Carlton Hotel, Los Angeles (photo by Julius Shulman) alvinlustig.com |
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| Tripod lamp alvinlustig.com |
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| Chair for Paramount Furniture grainedit.com |
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| Incantation fabric metmuseum.com |
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| Interior illustration for The Ghost in the Underblows, a collection of poems by Alfred Young Fisher butdoesitfloat.com |
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| Interior illustration for The Ghost in the Underblows a collection of poems by Alfred Young Fisher butdoesitfloat.com |
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| Interior illustration for The Ghost in the Underblows a collection of poems by Alfred Young Fisher butdoesitfloat.com |
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| Lustig office, photographed by Julius Shulman ldpgraphicdesigns.com |
Gosh Dana, I love Alvin Lustig's work. Every single thing you've showed us. I think this just might be my favourite post of yours. Wow!
ReplyDeleteJust imagine what else he could've created if he'd lived longer...talk about cut down in your prime. Thanks v.much for this one x
The body of work he accomplished in so few years is very impressive. I look back at what I had accomplished by age 40, and I was still struggling to get my lesson plans done, grade papers in something that resembled a timely manner and raise a 10-year-old as a single mother.
DeleteHe was such a talented man, and his dying so young was a real loss.
p.s. this close to buying one of his prints - wish I could buy them all!
ReplyDeleteWhich one are you considering buying? I kinda lean toward the Three Lives one, but they're all great! If I could afford one of his book jackets, I would want The Glass Menagerie, hands down. I think it's an incredibly wonderful design, and that has always been one of my favorite plays.
DeleteLetting Antonio decide (husband), thought he could buy me one for Christmas!
DeleteWhat a great Christmas present! You'll be as excited as the kids on Christmas Eve, I bet.
DeleteThe prints are the coolest! I am going to eBay immediately. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteWow, this may be the beginning of an Alvin Lustig frenzy! :) And I worried that this post might not be interesting to many people, since my art posts never seem to generate many responses...You just never know.
DeleteThe graphic designs are genius. Tragic that Lustig died so early.
ReplyDeleteLustig was an exceptionally talented man. Losing one's sight must be very difficult, but especially so for such a young artist.
DeleteI LOVE those designs. That style. They just instantly identify the time. So sad to hear about the designers issues and wonder what might have been if he had enjoyed good health.
ReplyDeleteYes, when one so talented dies so young, you can't help but wonder how much he could have achieved in a normal lifetime.
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