This exhibition was dedicated to the innovative packaging, wild ideas and creativity beyond budgets from the later years of “the golden age of sleeve design”—the late 1960s to mid-1980s. During this period, record companies discovered the possibility of presenting their products in a more spectacular way: not just great graphics and photography like Blue Note, but with custom-made covers experimenting with shapes, materials and effects. Gimmick sleeves.
By 1968, artists wanted something more striking and personalized than record companies had been accustomed to giving. A new industry was created making custom-made sleeves. Record buyers were also becoming more demanding—mere imitation, the usual way of dealing with new developments, was no longer enough. It was all about getting attention, exposure and visibility for the physical product in the crowded record stores. Money was never a problem. Great times.
This exhibition was not an academic thesis—it was simply a love letter to art and music. Rather than seeking out the most obscure and rare vinyls, the selection focused on truly great records fitting the exhibition’s concept: some well known, some under the radar, and some forgotten.
