Photo Credit: Courtesy of Universal Music Group, Anthony Martin and the Estate of David Stone Martin
Through December 31, 2010, Jazz at Lincoln Center is presenting a free art exhibition entitled Jazz at First Sight: The Art of David Stone Martin, featuring the record-album art of David Stone Martin (1913-1992)—whose brilliantly evocative jazz covers for the Verve label and others set the industry standard. The prolific graphic designer sought visual equivalents of the music contained in the sleeves he illustrated: iconic images instantly recognizable as modern jazz.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Universal Music Group, Anthony Martin and the Estate of David Stone Martin
Jazz at First Sight: The Art of David Stone Martin, on view at the Peter Jay Sharp Arcade, 5th floor, Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Columbus Circle in New York, is curated by Robert G. O’Meally, C. Daniel Dawson, Diedra Harris-Kelley and Linda Florio (designer), with Tad Hershorn of the Institute of Jazz Studies, Rutgers University, as special curatorial advisor.
Born in Chicago on June 13, 1913, David Livingstone Martin declared at age 16 that he would build a career as an artist. His submission of drawings he made for school publications garnered him a scholarship to the Art Institute of Chicago.
In 1935, Martin worked as a supervisor for the Federal Arts Projects of Western Illinois, and then as art director of the Tennessee Valley Authority. During the 1940s, Martin teamed up with William Golden (designer of the CBS “eye” logo), and with Ben Shahn, who became a close friend and the most important influence on Martin’s fast-evolving style. During WWII, the trio of Golden, Shahn, and Martin produced charts and maps for the U.S. Office of Strategic Services as well as visuals for the Office of War Information.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Universal Music Group, Anthony Martin and the Estate of David Stone Martin
Martin’s work for Life magazine during these years set the stage for his painting important cover portraits for Time magazine in the 1960s and 70s.
Martin’s foray into the jazz world began in 1944 when his friend Mary Lou Williams, the composer/pianist, persuaded the producer Moses Asch to hire Martin to design the cover for her new album of 78 rpm records—Martin’s first record cover. Martin did dozens of covers for Ash, which attracted the attention of one of Ash’s associates, Norman Granz, who would become one of the most important jazz impresarios.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Universal Music Group, Anthony Martin and the Estate of David Stone Martin
With more than 400 album covers to his credit, Martin’s has been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art. In April 1986, the New York Public Library and the Museum of the Performing Arts presented an exhibition of Martin’s jazz work called “Designs in Jazz.”
Martin spent his last years in New London, Connecticut, with his wife, Sheri. Two of his sons, Stefan and Anthony, also are visual artists. David Stone Martin succumbed to pneumonia in New London, CT, on March 6, 1992.
The exhibition Jazz at First Sight: The Art of David Stone Martin is FREE and open to the public, Tuesday through Sunday from 10am to 4pm and 6pm to 11pm and Monday from 6pm to 11pm.
There are also free guided gallery talks with curators. No RSVP required.
Sat., September 25, 2010 at 6:30pm with Robert G. O’Meally
Sat., October 9, 2010 at 6:30pm with Diedra Harris-Kelley
Sat., November 13, 2010 at 6:30pm with C. Daniel Dawson
All tours meet in the Peter Jay Sharp Arcade, 5th Floor, Frederick P. Rose Hall, Columbus Circle, NYC
Sponsors:
This exhibition is made possible by a generous gift from Janice and Bob Burns.
MasterCard® is the preferred card of Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Jazz at Lincoln Center proudly acknowledges its major corporate partners:
BET J, Bloomberg, Brooks Brothers, The Coca-Cola Company, Related, and Sirius XM Radio.
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Lia Chang is an actor, performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multimedia journalist.
As a photographer and videographer, Lia collaborates with artists, organizations and companies in establishing their documentary photo archive and social media presence. She has been documenting her colleagues and contemporaries in the arts, fashion and journalism since making her stage debut as Liat in the National Tour of South Pacific, with Robert Goulet and Barbara Eden.
Selections of Lia’s archive of Asian Pacific Americans in the arts, fashion, journalism, politics and space are in the newly created LIA CHANG THEATER PORTFOLIO in the ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN PERFORMING ARTS COLLECTION housed in the Library of Congress Asian Division’s Asian American Pacific Islander Collection.
Lia’s portraits and performance photos have appeared in Vanity Fair, Gourmet, German Elle, Women’s Wear Daily, The Paris Review, VIBE, TV Guide, Daily Variety, Interior Design, American Theatre, Broadwayworld.com, Life & Style, OUT, New York Magazine, InStyle, Timeout.com, Villagevoice.com, Playbill.com, Theatermania.com, thelmagazine.com, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, USA Today, The Boston Globe, New York Times and Washington Post. A former syndicated arts and entertainment columnist for KYODO News, Lia is the New York Bureau Chief for AsianConnections.com. She writes about culture, style and Asian American issues for a variety of publications and this Backstage Pass with Lia Chang blog.
Other Articles by Lia Chang:
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Photos: Chinese New Year Festival at The Huntington in San Marino
Photos:The Working Theater’s Off-Broadway production of HONEY BROWN EYES by Stefanie Zadravec at The Clurman
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Multimedia: Exclusive photos and video of Disney’s The Lion King Las Vegas -In the Makeup Chair with Thom Sesma
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Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive.
