Features

The new book Milton Glaser: POP (Phaidon, Monacelli Press), about design icon and SVA legend Milton Glaser’s far-out, whimsical work from the 1960s and 1970s, is a homegrown effort, written and put together by MFA Design co-chair and design historian Steven Heller; designer, illustrator and activist Mirko Ilić, who has taught in the MFA Illustration as Visual Essay program; and Beth Kleber, head archivist at SVA Archives and Milton Glaser Design Study Center and Archives. 

And starting this month, you can see selections of Glaser's artwork from that era in person at “Milton Glaser: POP,” a new exhibition on view Wednesday, May 17, through Monday, June 5, at the SVA Gramercy Gallery. The exhibition was designed by SVA Galleries and co-curated by Kleber, Heller and Ilić.

As with the book, the nearly 150 pieces featured in the exhibition—including book, album and magazine covers, posters and advertisements—were primarily drawn from the Glaser Archives, which are housed in the SVA Library, and Ilić’s own collection. Many works have not been seen since their original publication, and others have never been published. Vinyl inserts and book jackets for Dick Gregory and Agatha Christie mingle with Superbowl and Fanta soda ads, and live music promotions for Dionne Warwick and Newport Jazz Festival, offering a wide-ranging and in-depth look at Glaser’s bold, colorful impact on the cultural shift that would transform the look of pop culture forever.

Though the curation process for the exhibition only took place over the past few months, Kleber, Heller and Ilić began working on the book in 2020, narrowing Glaser’s wide-ranging body of work from his partnership with Seymour Chwast at Push Pin Studios. Each of the three authors had personal and professional connections to Glaser. Kleber has overseen, written about and interviewed Glaser about his vast archive of illustrations, artworks and designs since he donated it to the College in 2003. Glaser and Heller were SVA colleagues for decades, and Glaser taught in Heller and co-chair Lita Talarico’s MFA Design program. Ilić, whose studio was on the top floor of Glaser’s building on East 32nd Street, often collaborated with the designer and became a close friend. The book’s editor, Alan Rapp, is an SVA alumnus, having graduated in 2010 from the College’s MFA Design Criticism program.

“Milton Glaser: POP” follows the December 2021 exhibition “SVA❤️Milton: The Legacy of Milton Glaser,” a retrospective homage to Glaser’s legacy and longtime connection to SVA. Glaser served on SVA’s faculty and as acting chairman of the College’s Board up until his passing in June 2020 on his 91st birthday. Born in the Bronx and an alumnus of Cooper Union, Glaser is known for many significant logos, including the famous “I ♥ NY” design.

An opening reception for “Milton Glaser: POP” in partnership with Monacelli Press and Brooklyn Brewery—for which Glaser famously designed the logo—will take place at the gallery on Friday, May 19. Registration for the reception is required and space is limited. The exhibition is free and open to the public.