ARTnews, May 2008

Legendary graphic designer George Lois, most famous for his in-your-face Esquire covers, is having his day at the Museum of Modern Art, and he thinks it's about time. "I call myself an artist," says Lois, 77. "But having the museum finally proclaim the covers as Art-with-a-capital-A —that's exciting."

"George Lois: The Esquire Covers," which opened on the 25th of last month, puts Lois's trademark mix of brash concepts, streamlined design, and high-art influences on full display. After Muhammad Ali was barred from the boxing ring for refusing to fight in Vietnam, Lois portrayed him as Saint Sebastian, shot through with arrows. For a story on the decline of the avant-garde, Lois showed Andy Warhol drowning in a can of Campbell's soup.

Lois's West Village apartment, packed with both high-art and pop memorabilia, conveys the all-embracing esthetic that spawned Lois's covers. He is currently working on a book that will outline his take on 5,000 years of art history.

Curator Christian Larsen, who selected 32 covers that Lois created between 1962 and 1972, credits former Esquire editor Harold Hayes with supporting the designer's provocative concepts. "Hayes and Lois shared a bravura that today is lost," says Larsen. "Now magazines just want a sexy woman with a lot of text."