Bob Seidemann
Encyclopedia
Bob Seidemann is an American graphic artist and photographer best known for the creation of several album cover
s and portraits of musicians in the 1960s and 1970s.
Seidemann first gained notoriety in 1967 for a photographic interpretation of the Pietà
. He reversed the traditional subjects, depicting a mourning male cradling the body of a nude female, with a graphic combination of sexuality and violence.
In 1969, Eric Clapton
formed a new band and Seidemann was commissioned to create the cover for their album. Seidemann photographed a nude 11 year-old girl to create what would become his most famous and controversial work, entitled "Blind Faith". Not only did it become the cover and title of the album, but the band
as well.
Although unpublished until her death, Seidemann's 1967 portraits of a semi-nude Janis Joplin
earned him wide acclaim. In fact, a Baron Wolman
photo of Joplin used a number of the earlier Seidemann portraits as a backdrop. Seidemann also photographed The Grateful Dead a number of times during their peak, both for posters and album liners, as well as designing the covers for Go to Heaven
and Jerry Garcia
's debut solo album, Garcia
. Other works include the cover of Jackson Browne
's Late for the Sky
, Neil Young
's On the Beach, and numerous concert posters for bands such as Traffic
and Big Brother and the Holding Company
.
From the late 1980s through the 1990s, Seidemann took a series of 302 aviation-themed photographs entitled "The Airplane as Art". The collection sold at Sotheby's
on October 12, 2000, for $236,750.
Album cover
An album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially released audio recording product, or album. The term can refer to either the printed cardboard covers typically used to package sets of 10" and 12" 78 rpm records, single and sets of 12" LPs, sets of 45 rpm records , or the front-facing...
s and portraits of musicians in the 1960s and 1970s.
Seidemann first gained notoriety in 1967 for a photographic interpretation of the Pietà
Pietà
The Pietà is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus, most often found in sculpture. As such, it is a particular form of the Lamentation of Christ, a scene from the Passion of Christ found in cycles of the Life of Christ...
. He reversed the traditional subjects, depicting a mourning male cradling the body of a nude female, with a graphic combination of sexuality and violence.
In 1969, Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
formed a new band and Seidemann was commissioned to create the cover for their album. Seidemann photographed a nude 11 year-old girl to create what would become his most famous and controversial work, entitled "Blind Faith". Not only did it become the cover and title of the album, but the band
Blind Faith
Blind Faith were an English blues-rock band that consisted of Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Steve Winwood and Ric Grech. The band, which was one of the first "super-groups", released their only album, Blind Faith, in August 1969...
as well.
Although unpublished until her death, Seidemann's 1967 portraits of a semi-nude Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
earned him wide acclaim. In fact, a Baron Wolman
Baron Wolman
Baron Wolman is an American photographer best known for his work in the late 1960s for the music magazine Rolling Stone, becoming the magazine's first editor of photography from 1967 to 1970.-Early photographic career:...
photo of Joplin used a number of the earlier Seidemann portraits as a backdrop. Seidemann also photographed The Grateful Dead a number of times during their peak, both for posters and album liners, as well as designing the covers for Go to Heaven
Go to Heaven
Go to Heaven is the eleventh studio album by the Grateful Dead. It was released on April 28, 1980.The album was released for the first time on CD in 1990 by Arista Records before being re-released in 2000 by BMG International. It was then remastered, expanded, and released as part of the Beyond...
and Jerry Garcia
Jerry Garcia
Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead...
's debut solo album, Garcia
Garcia (album)
Garcia is Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia's first solo album, released in 1972.Warner Bros. Records offered the Grateful Dead the opportunity to cut their own solo records, and Garcia was released during the same time as Bob Weir's Ace and Mickey Hart's Rolling Thunder...
. Other works include the cover of Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has sold over 17 million albums in the United States alone....
's Late for the Sky
Late for the Sky
Late for the Sky is the third album by American singer/songwriter Jackson Browne, released in 1974 . It was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1975. It peaked at #14 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart...
, Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
's On the Beach, and numerous concert posters for bands such as Traffic
Traffic (band)
Traffic were an English rock band whose members came from the West Midlands. The group formed in April 1967 by Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason...
and Big Brother and the Holding Company
Big Brother and the Holding Company
Big Brother and the Holding Company is an American rock band that formed in San Francisco in 1965 as part of the same psychedelic music scene that produced the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Jefferson Airplane. They are best known as the band that featured Janis Joplin as their...
.
From the late 1980s through the 1990s, Seidemann took a series of 302 aviation-themed photographs entitled "The Airplane as Art". The collection sold at Sotheby's
Sotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
on October 12, 2000, for $236,750.