2 cover stories in our archive
Behind the Covers' archive includes 2 album covers documented under the "appropriation" design theme, all from the 1980s. These covers sit within the alternative, electronic, rock tradition and feature work by New Order, Sonic Youth. Each entry below includes the cover artwork, the designers and photographers behind it, and a short story about the visual choices that defined the release.
Peter Saville reproduced Henri Fantin-Latour's 1890 painting 'A Basket of Roses' without permission, creating one of the most elegant album covers ever. Factory Records' Tony Wilson loved it so much he didn't care about potential lawsuits from museums.
Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation features a detail from Gerhard Richter's 1983 painting "Kerze" (Candle), cropped so tightly that most viewers don't realize they're looking at a candle flame. The band discovered the German artist's photorealistic painting in a book and used it without permission, creating one of alternative rock's most enigmatic covers.