Art Paul

Art Paul
Name	Art Paul
Birth date	1925-06-18
Birth place	Oak Park, Illinois
Death date	2018-04-28
Death place	Oak Park, Illinois
Occupation	Graphic designer, art director, illustrator
Years active	1953–2018
Known for	Founding art director of Playboy

Art Paul was an American graphic designer and illustrator best known as the founding art director of Playboy (magazine), where he defined a modern visual identity that integrated illustration, photography, and typography. His editorial leadership bridged relationships with major figures in modern art, graphic design, and popular culture, influencing magazines, advertising, and museum practices. Paul’s collaborations and patronage helped launch careers of numerous artists and photographers while connecting publications to institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim Museum.

Early life and education

Born in Oak Park, Illinois, Paul attended local schools before studying at the Institute of Design (Chicago), also known as the New Bauhaus, where he trained under instructors influenced by László Moholy-Nagy and the Bauhaus. He continued studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and later at the Academy of Art University and workshops connected to the Chicago Art Institute. Early exposure to the work of Herbert Bayer, Paul Rand, and Alexey Brodovitch shaped his sensibility toward magazine design, layout, and the role of illustration in periodicals. Interactions with teachers and contemporaries linked him to networks in Chicago, New York City, and later Los Angeles.

Career at Playboy

In 1953 he became the first art director of Playboy (magazine), hired by founder Hugh Hefner. Paul assembled a visual program that incorporated contributors from the American Abstract Artists, the Art Directors Club, and avant-garde photographers associated with Life (magazine) and Look (magazine). He commissioned work from painters and illustrators connected to Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, and Surrealism, including figures related to Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, and Salvador Dalí, while featuring photographers tied to agencies like Magnum Photos and galleries such as the Julien Levy Gallery. Under his direction, Playboy (magazine) developed signature elements—cover treatment, table of contents, and fiction illustration—that influenced contemporaneous periodicals like Esquire (magazine), The New Yorker, and Harper's Magazine.

Graphic design style and influence

Paul’s aesthetic combined principles from the Bauhaus, Swiss Style, and American commercial illustration traditions exemplified by Alexey Brodovitch and Paul Rand. He favored bold, minimalist layouts, experimental typography related to work seen at the Type Directors Club, and conceptual images reminiscent of exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art. His approach promoted symbiosis between text and image, encouraging collaborations with writers whose work appeared alongside visuals by artists associated with the Guggenheim Museum, Tate Modern, and private dealers in SoHo (Manhattan). Influence extended to magazine redesigns at publications like Esquire (magazine), Time (magazine), and Newsweek, as well as to advertising campaigns run by agencies such as J. Walter Thompson and Young & Rubicam.

Other professional work and collaborations

Beyond magazine work, Paul collaborated with institutions and individuals across the arts: curators at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, editors at Vogue (magazine), and publishers like Random House and Pantheon Books. He commissioned and worked with illustrators linked to galleries such as the Staley-Wise Gallery and photographers who exhibited with Aperture (magazine). Paul contributed designs to annuals and exhibitions organized by the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum and consulted for design departments at schools including the School of Visual Arts and the Royal College of Art. Collaborators included curators and critics associated with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Endowment for the Arts, and foundations such as the Guggenheim Foundation.

Awards and recognition

Paul received honors from professional bodies including the Art Directors Club, the Type Directors Club, and the Society of Publication Designers. His work was exhibited at venues like the Museum of Modern Art, the Cooper Hewitt, and the Chicago History Museum. He was featured in retrospectives and surveys at institutions such as the Guggenheim Museum and the Walker Art Center, and his contributions were cited in histories of graphic design and periodical publishing curated by scholars at Columbia University and Yale University. Professional archives preserving his papers are associated with repositories like the Newberry Library and university special collections.

Personal life and legacy

Paul returned to live in Oak Park, Illinois later in life and maintained ties with colleagues in Chicago and New York City. His editorial philosophy influenced generations of art directors at publications such as The New Yorker, Vanity Fair (magazine), and Rolling Stone (magazine), and shaped careers of designers who later taught at the Rhode Island School of Design, the Pratt Institute, and the Cooper Union. Institutions such as the Art Institute of Chicago and the Chicago Cultural Center have staged programs examining his impact, and scholarship at universities including Northwestern University and Columbia University continues to assess his role in American visual culture.

Category:American graphic designers Category:Playboy people Category:1925 births Category:2018 deaths