Conversation with Milton Glaser—Part 2

Milton Glaser Conversation with Milton Glaser

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The web exclusive that follows is an extension
of Conversation with Milton Glaser, an article originally published in the April 2008 issue of Art+Auction.
The photo gallery to the left contains a sampling of Milton Glaser's impressive body of graphic design work.

Your latest piece of work, now on view in New York’s subways, is an ad for the School of Visual Arts. Underneath the words “The Secret of Art” is an image of the poster itself scrunched up into a ball. It seems typical of your work in its use of ambiguity as a device to engage the viewer.

Yes, it lends itself to any number of interpretations. One is that you have to throw away many things before you get to something you’re satisfied with. The other is that there is no such thing as art. All art is a convention of the moment. At the beginning of the Story of Art, Gombrich says, “There is no such thing as art —there are only artists.” I love that idea because it explains the fugitive nature of art. Art is nothing you can get your hands on.

What’s your opinion of the current generation of designers?

It’s in the nature of the emerging generation to repudiate at least in part what has preceded them. I know this because I was in the same position myself. My reaction to modernism and the over-use of the typeface Helvetica was to say, “This is so boring; let’s get rid of this stuff.” It had become so systemic, so repetitious and so academic. I said, “Why not have a full meal? We don’t only have to have toast and coffee.”

Are you encouraged by the way in which younger designers are becoming involved in social and political issues?

Well, I’ve been pushing them to do this for years. I’m concerned that what’s going on is no more than a trend. I don’t see much evidence of the great commitment to social activism.

There’s a rumor going around that the food critic in Pixar’s animated movie Ratatouille is based on you. What do you think of that?

I love it. I love it. Someone mentioned this to me so we took out the film. And I had to admit, there’s a physical resemblance. And maybe something about the manner of speech? Who knows, perhaps an ex-student of mine went to work as an animator at Pixar?  It’s also funny because in my early life I was a food critic at New York magazine — the Underground Gourmet.

"Conversation with Milton Glaser—Part 2" is a web exclusive published in conjunction with the April 2008 issue of Art+Auction. For a complete list of articles from this issue available on ARTINFO, see Art+Auction's April 2008 Table of Contents.