Milton Glaser on Shepard Fairey
Transcript Of Milton Glaser on Shepard Fairey
Milton Glaser on Shepard Fairey
http://www.printmag.com/Article/Milton_Glaser_Shepard_Fair...
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Milton Glaser on Shepard Fairey
by Admin
A poster of President Barack Obama, right, by artist Shepard Fairey is shown for comparison with this April 27, 2006 file photo of then-Sen. Barack Obama by Associated Press photographer Mannie Garcia at the National Press Club in Washington. Fairey has acknowledged, the poster is based on the AP photograph. (AP Photo/Mannie Garcia/ Shepard Fairey)
Summary
— The Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston just launched a solo show of work by poster artist (and semi-official Obama iconographer) Shepard Fairey. [Update: Shepard Fairey is in court in Boston today facing graffiti-related charges. He was arrested on his way to the opening party for his retrospective at the ICA. Seems the Boston police are as savvy as ever about pop culture.]
But some in the design community feel the “by” in that first sentence is in question, since many of Fairey’s images are based on preexisting photos and illustrations. And this week the issue exploded: The Associate Press accused him of copyright infringement for his ubiquitous blue-and-red Obama poster--which they claim was based on an AP photo—and Fairey retained Anthony Falzone, a lawyer and executive director of Stanford’s Fair Use Project. Milton Glaser wades into the fray.
— This article appears in the TKTKTK issue of Print.
Poster by Josef Muller Brockmann
Fairey has referred to what he does as “referencing.” There’s certainly plenty of precedent for making reference to older artwork in new ones. How does one distinguish between plagiarism and reference?
The process of looking back at the past is very accepted in our business—the difference is when you take something without adding anything to the conversation. We celebrate influence in the arts, we
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11/23/10 3:55 PM
Milton Glaser on Shepard Fairey
http://www.printmag.com/Article/Milton_Glaser_Shepard_Fair...
About the Author
— Milton Glaser (b.1929) has had the distinction of one-man shows at the Museum of Modern Art and the Georges Pompidou Center. In 2004, he was selected for the lifetime achievement award of the CooperHewitt National Design Museum. He opened Milton Glaser, Inc. in 1974, and continues to produce an astounding amount of work in many fields of design to this day.
For more information
— Check out Steven Heller's blog post about Esquire's recent Fairey-derived cover. The AP offers its take here.
Also in this issue
— TKTKTK TKTKTK TKTKTK
think it’s important and essential. But imitation we have some ambivalence about, especially because it involves property rights. It probably has something to do with the nature of capitalism. We know that in other cultures, Chinese culture for instance, imitation is seen as a tribute, because you wouldn’t bother imitating trivial works. But in those cases the influence is acknowledged and the skill required is obvious.
For myself—this is subjective—I find the relationship between Fairey’s work and his sources discomforting. Nothing substantial has been added. In my own case, when I did the Dylan poster, I acknowledged using Duchamp’s profile as an influence. I think unless you’re modifying it and making it your own, you’re on very tenuous ground. It’s a dangerous example for students, if they see that appropriating people’s work is the path to success. Simply reproducing the work of others robs you of your imagination and form-making abilities. You’re not developing the muscularity you need to invent your own ideas.
One of the things that really bothers me is Fairey’s use (below) of the famous Swiss photo (above) of a woman’s head. There are too many unique observations that the artist made. It’s just too close to the original observations of the photographer. It doesn’t seem clean to me. The distinction between these things is ambiguous, but when we look at it we feel, “Something is not right.”
Image of the Day
Julien Vallee, We Love Fantasy *Image of the Day Archive*
2 of 5
Poster by Shepard Fairey.
Fairey is riding the line between fine and commercial art. Does that affect how we see his use of other people’s work?
Perhaps so—what’s most important to the graphic arts is communicating clearly, and sometimes that means using the vernacular of the moment. For the fine arts, the most important thing is being personally expressive. There aren’t that many unique voices in the
Most Recent Articles
The 2010 Regional Design Annual Table of Contents Toward an Archive of Digital Design Design as Dictator 2010 Creativity + Commerce Competition Winners
11/23/10 3:55 PM
Milton Glaser on Shepard Fairey
http://www.printmag.com/Article/Milton_Glaser_Shepard_Fair...
world.
Little Black Books
For myself, if any form of art makes you attentive (in the Buddhist sense) is performing the highest purpose that art can achieve.
Is appropriation of others’ work is more common now?
Perhaps but usually designers don’t get as celebrated for doing it. It’s awkward to criticize another member of your discipline. But it’s important for students to understand that any idea can be exploited, but not simply reproduced.
Reader Comments
Login to add a comment. Not a registered user? Register Now!
Most Popular
The Wonderful Color Wheel, Part 1 Billboard as Augmented Reality The Incredible Posters of Tadanori Yokoo Table of Contents for the August issue of Print
Milton, Is a unique voice one that can be heard in the forest as well as the city and bring thee same picture to the person/animal that hears it? By hiredgun July 26, 2010
By the way, Milton... Hiredgun is that guy in Florida. By hiredgun July 26, 2010
By the way, Milton... Hiredgun is that guy in Florida. By hiredgun July 26, 2010
Here's a Facebook site of relevant interest ... http://www.facebook.com /pages/I-Love-GR/48263169456 Seems to me that they don't "get it" ... especially having the audacity to TM the shirt. By craigtommola September 03, 2010
It is certainly arguable, when used to create images and develop other visual readings, the artist must make speeches, and necessarily must give credit to original author of the picture forever. Do not just make a copy and put a publicist and then call the customer. This in Brazil, in the advertising say suck other people's ideas and that is punishable By franspuga November 03, 2010
It is certainly arguable, when used to create images and develop other visual readings, the artist must make speeches, and necessarily must give credit to original author of the picture forever. Do not just make a copy and put a publicist and then call the customer. This in Brazil, in the advertising say suck other people's ideas and that is punishable By franspuga November 03, 2010
3 of 5
11/23/10 3:55 PM
Milton Glaser on Shepard Fairey
http://www.printmag.com/Article/Milton_Glaser_Shepard_Fair...
Carry Hope
13 designers create a custom tote bag for their favorite charity. Featuring the work of: Atelier Télescopique, Büro Destruct, Christoph Niemann, Deanne Cheuk, Ed Fella, Geoff McFetridge, Hort, James Joyce, Laurent Fetis, Rick Valicenti, Si Scott, Spin, and Sawdust. Order one today!
Check Out Past Issues
Subscribe to Print and get all 6 issues for just $40
In This Issue It's the international issue: Irish animation, Russian stamps, Mao kitsch, and 35 winners of our Creativity + Commerce competition. Plus, top designers reveal their favorite psychological tactics to get clients to say "yes." Also: Rick Poynor on design as dictator, Khoi Vinh asks how to effectively archive digital design, and Paul Shaw reviews Trilby. See the complete Table of Contents
4 of 5
11/23/10 3:55 PM
Milton Glaser on Shepard Fairey
http://www.printmag.com/Article/Milton_Glaser_Shepard_Fair...
Google Sponsored Links
Boston Graphic Design Strategic Branding, Packing and Graphic Design. Multi-Award Winner. www.GolinkoDesign.com
Posterfix.com Poster Restoration, Linen Backing in NYC 20 years [email protected] www.posterfix.com
5S Supplies and more Quick, easy solution for getting your 5S supplies. Tags, tape, etc. www.5Ssupply.com
Sponsored Links
2010 Pantone Plus Series at Great Discounts Hundreds of new colors to inspire your creativity!
'Spec' the Perfect Paper for your Project PaperSpecs: Your comprehensive paper info. resource
Get Organized and Make Your Ideas Happen Action Method - Special Offer from HOW
Become a Design Rockstar! Subscriptions, DesignCasts and Much More.
Get all of 2009 Print issue All issue on one CD
Featured Links
Enter HOW International Design Awards Deadline: September 1, 2010
HOW Mind Your Own Business Conf. Gain a new perspective on your creative firm
Check Out All of the Print DesignCasts Improve your career and your business.
More than 1,100 Color Combinations Plus free swatch downloads.
Supercharge your Self-Promotion Efforts The Step-by-Step Marketing Machine
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Copyright © 2010 by F+W Media.
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5 of 5
11/23/10 3:55 PM
http://www.printmag.com/Article/Milton_Glaser_Shepard_Fair...
Resources
Inspiration
Competitions
Directory
Education
Register ▪ Login ▪ Current Issue ▪ Calendar ▪ Advertise
search
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GO About Us
Milton Glaser on Shepard Fairey
by Admin
A poster of President Barack Obama, right, by artist Shepard Fairey is shown for comparison with this April 27, 2006 file photo of then-Sen. Barack Obama by Associated Press photographer Mannie Garcia at the National Press Club in Washington. Fairey has acknowledged, the poster is based on the AP photograph. (AP Photo/Mannie Garcia/ Shepard Fairey)
Summary
— The Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston just launched a solo show of work by poster artist (and semi-official Obama iconographer) Shepard Fairey. [Update: Shepard Fairey is in court in Boston today facing graffiti-related charges. He was arrested on his way to the opening party for his retrospective at the ICA. Seems the Boston police are as savvy as ever about pop culture.]
But some in the design community feel the “by” in that first sentence is in question, since many of Fairey’s images are based on preexisting photos and illustrations. And this week the issue exploded: The Associate Press accused him of copyright infringement for his ubiquitous blue-and-red Obama poster--which they claim was based on an AP photo—and Fairey retained Anthony Falzone, a lawyer and executive director of Stanford’s Fair Use Project. Milton Glaser wades into the fray.
— This article appears in the TKTKTK issue of Print.
Poster by Josef Muller Brockmann
Fairey has referred to what he does as “referencing.” There’s certainly plenty of precedent for making reference to older artwork in new ones. How does one distinguish between plagiarism and reference?
The process of looking back at the past is very accepted in our business—the difference is when you take something without adding anything to the conversation. We celebrate influence in the arts, we
Recommend
Be the first of your friends to recommend this.
Share Share this page with your friends.
1 of 5
11/23/10 3:55 PM
Milton Glaser on Shepard Fairey
http://www.printmag.com/Article/Milton_Glaser_Shepard_Fair...
About the Author
— Milton Glaser (b.1929) has had the distinction of one-man shows at the Museum of Modern Art and the Georges Pompidou Center. In 2004, he was selected for the lifetime achievement award of the CooperHewitt National Design Museum. He opened Milton Glaser, Inc. in 1974, and continues to produce an astounding amount of work in many fields of design to this day.
For more information
— Check out Steven Heller's blog post about Esquire's recent Fairey-derived cover. The AP offers its take here.
Also in this issue
— TKTKTK TKTKTK TKTKTK
think it’s important and essential. But imitation we have some ambivalence about, especially because it involves property rights. It probably has something to do with the nature of capitalism. We know that in other cultures, Chinese culture for instance, imitation is seen as a tribute, because you wouldn’t bother imitating trivial works. But in those cases the influence is acknowledged and the skill required is obvious.
For myself—this is subjective—I find the relationship between Fairey’s work and his sources discomforting. Nothing substantial has been added. In my own case, when I did the Dylan poster, I acknowledged using Duchamp’s profile as an influence. I think unless you’re modifying it and making it your own, you’re on very tenuous ground. It’s a dangerous example for students, if they see that appropriating people’s work is the path to success. Simply reproducing the work of others robs you of your imagination and form-making abilities. You’re not developing the muscularity you need to invent your own ideas.
One of the things that really bothers me is Fairey’s use (below) of the famous Swiss photo (above) of a woman’s head. There are too many unique observations that the artist made. It’s just too close to the original observations of the photographer. It doesn’t seem clean to me. The distinction between these things is ambiguous, but when we look at it we feel, “Something is not right.”
Image of the Day
Julien Vallee, We Love Fantasy *Image of the Day Archive*
2 of 5
Poster by Shepard Fairey.
Fairey is riding the line between fine and commercial art. Does that affect how we see his use of other people’s work?
Perhaps so—what’s most important to the graphic arts is communicating clearly, and sometimes that means using the vernacular of the moment. For the fine arts, the most important thing is being personally expressive. There aren’t that many unique voices in the
Most Recent Articles
The 2010 Regional Design Annual Table of Contents Toward an Archive of Digital Design Design as Dictator 2010 Creativity + Commerce Competition Winners
11/23/10 3:55 PM
Milton Glaser on Shepard Fairey
http://www.printmag.com/Article/Milton_Glaser_Shepard_Fair...
world.
Little Black Books
For myself, if any form of art makes you attentive (in the Buddhist sense) is performing the highest purpose that art can achieve.
Is appropriation of others’ work is more common now?
Perhaps but usually designers don’t get as celebrated for doing it. It’s awkward to criticize another member of your discipline. But it’s important for students to understand that any idea can be exploited, but not simply reproduced.
Reader Comments
Login to add a comment. Not a registered user? Register Now!
Most Popular
The Wonderful Color Wheel, Part 1 Billboard as Augmented Reality The Incredible Posters of Tadanori Yokoo Table of Contents for the August issue of Print
Milton, Is a unique voice one that can be heard in the forest as well as the city and bring thee same picture to the person/animal that hears it? By hiredgun July 26, 2010
By the way, Milton... Hiredgun is that guy in Florida. By hiredgun July 26, 2010
By the way, Milton... Hiredgun is that guy in Florida. By hiredgun July 26, 2010
Here's a Facebook site of relevant interest ... http://www.facebook.com /pages/I-Love-GR/48263169456 Seems to me that they don't "get it" ... especially having the audacity to TM the shirt. By craigtommola September 03, 2010
It is certainly arguable, when used to create images and develop other visual readings, the artist must make speeches, and necessarily must give credit to original author of the picture forever. Do not just make a copy and put a publicist and then call the customer. This in Brazil, in the advertising say suck other people's ideas and that is punishable By franspuga November 03, 2010
It is certainly arguable, when used to create images and develop other visual readings, the artist must make speeches, and necessarily must give credit to original author of the picture forever. Do not just make a copy and put a publicist and then call the customer. This in Brazil, in the advertising say suck other people's ideas and that is punishable By franspuga November 03, 2010
3 of 5
11/23/10 3:55 PM
Milton Glaser on Shepard Fairey
http://www.printmag.com/Article/Milton_Glaser_Shepard_Fair...
Carry Hope
13 designers create a custom tote bag for their favorite charity. Featuring the work of: Atelier Télescopique, Büro Destruct, Christoph Niemann, Deanne Cheuk, Ed Fella, Geoff McFetridge, Hort, James Joyce, Laurent Fetis, Rick Valicenti, Si Scott, Spin, and Sawdust. Order one today!
Check Out Past Issues
Subscribe to Print and get all 6 issues for just $40
In This Issue It's the international issue: Irish animation, Russian stamps, Mao kitsch, and 35 winners of our Creativity + Commerce competition. Plus, top designers reveal their favorite psychological tactics to get clients to say "yes." Also: Rick Poynor on design as dictator, Khoi Vinh asks how to effectively archive digital design, and Paul Shaw reviews Trilby. See the complete Table of Contents
4 of 5
11/23/10 3:55 PM
Milton Glaser on Shepard Fairey
http://www.printmag.com/Article/Milton_Glaser_Shepard_Fair...
Google Sponsored Links
Boston Graphic Design Strategic Branding, Packing and Graphic Design. Multi-Award Winner. www.GolinkoDesign.com
Posterfix.com Poster Restoration, Linen Backing in NYC 20 years [email protected] www.posterfix.com
5S Supplies and more Quick, easy solution for getting your 5S supplies. Tags, tape, etc. www.5Ssupply.com
Sponsored Links
2010 Pantone Plus Series at Great Discounts Hundreds of new colors to inspire your creativity!
'Spec' the Perfect Paper for your Project PaperSpecs: Your comprehensive paper info. resource
Get Organized and Make Your Ideas Happen Action Method - Special Offer from HOW
Become a Design Rockstar! Subscriptions, DesignCasts and Much More.
Get all of 2009 Print issue All issue on one CD
Featured Links
Enter HOW International Design Awards Deadline: September 1, 2010
HOW Mind Your Own Business Conf. Gain a new perspective on your creative firm
Check Out All of the Print DesignCasts Improve your career and your business.
More than 1,100 Color Combinations Plus free swatch downloads.
Supercharge your Self-Promotion Efforts The Step-by-Step Marketing Machine
Contact Us
Copyright © 2010 by F+W Media.
Privacy Policy
Site Map
5 of 5
11/23/10 3:55 PM