Milton Glaser Exhibition in Museum of Arts and Crafts

The Museum of Arts and Crafts in Zagreb features the exhibition of works of Milton Glaser, illustrator, graphic designer, art director and visual designer. Milton had an extraordinarily successful career spanning seven decades. The exhibition is open from the 22nd of September to the 31st of October 2021.

He is the name behind the legendary I Love NY logo, the renowned Bob Dylan poster with psychedelic hair, and the logos for DC Comics, Stony Brook University, and Brooklyn Brewery. 

Marking the first anniversary of his death, three partner institutions, the School of Applied Arts and Design, the Museum of Arts and Crafts and the Museum of Contemporary Art Zagreb, formed a program including an exhibition of Milton’s work held at multiple locations in Zagreb.

The Museum of Arts and Crafts exhibition is the last one before a complete reconstruction of the building, following an earthquake that hit Zagreb in March 2020. 

About Milton Glaser

Milton was born in 1929 in New York, where he graduated from the High School of Music and Art before studying at the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. While working in promotions at Vogue magazine, he received a Fulbright Scholarship and graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna, Italy. 

In 1954, he co-founded Pushpin Studios, the company responsible for setting the direction of graphic design throughout the world, most famous for an exhibition at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

In 1968, with Clay Felker, he co-founded New York Magazine, where he remained the president and design director until 1977. 

Later, the magazine served as an inspiration for many city magazines. 

He’s also famous for teaming up with Walter Bernard when they formed WBMG in 1983, a publishing company that designed over 50 magazines, newspapers, and periodicals worldwide. 

The most famous redesigns by this firm were The Washington Post, La Vanguardia from Barcelona, Spain and O Globo from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They consulted on redesign projects and worked with Windows, American Express, ESPN, The Journal of Art and more. 

Along with his work at WBMG, Milton established his firm Milton Glaser, Inc. in 1974. From his studio in Manhattan, Milton produced print graphics, environmental and interior design. 

His work included concepts and designs of exteriors and interiors of many restaurants, exhibitions, shopping malls, hotels and other commercial environments. 

His portfolio featured more than 300 posters for clients in various industries, from publishing, music, theatre and film, to commercial products. 

His most recognisable logo is I Love NY, commissioned by the state of New York in 1976. 

During his career, Milton Glaser worked on numerous world-famous projects and is behind some of the most famous logos and visual identities of companies around the globe. 

He redesigned the American Supermarket Chain, The Grand Union Company, the interior design of the 1987 Triennale di Milano, International Exhibition in Milan, Italy and is behind the AIDS symbol and poster for the World Health Organization in 1987. 

His work has been shown worldwide, from the Museum of Modern Art in New York to the Pompidou Centre in Paris. 

Autumn exhibitions in Zagreb

A total of three exhibitions with Milton Glaser’s work will be presented this autumn in Zagreb. 

The Aliis Inserviendo Consumor (AIC) foundation, thanks to members of the Board, Krešimir Penavić and Mirko Ilić, Glaser’s close friend, donated posters from the most famous production period of the artist.

Visitors will be able to see 39 posters, produced mostly for concerts, festivals and exhibitions. 

They cover Milton’s earliest work, the poster and Bob Dylan’s LP, ‘The Greatest Hits’ from 1966 to some of his most recent works – ‘To Dream is Human’ from 2017, designed for the School of Visual Arts in New York.

The exhibition also includes visual identity design for many American companies like DC Comics and institutions, including business cards, envelopes, and promotional material.

The School of Applied Arts and Design hosted the first part of the exhibition until the 24th of September, which then moved to the Botanical Garden, where it will remain until the 31st of October. 

The Museum of Arts and Crafts will host an exhibition from the 23rd of September until the 31st of October and the Museum of Contemporary Art will exhibit posters until the 24th of October 2021. 

The renovation of the Museum of Arts and Crafts

This September, the Museum of Arts and Crafts, in cooperation with the Faculty of Architecture, Zagreb, signed a contract to begin the process of a complete renovation following a devastating earthquake that damaged the building in March 2020. 

The project is funded by the EU Solidarity Fund, based on a public call issued by the Ministry of Culture and Media to create documents needed to restore and protect damaged cultural heritage completely. 

The Museum received funding of 66 million Kuna to start the project and begin with the first phase of protection of the building as well as 740 thousand Kuna to protect its collections. 

To prepare for the renovation, museum employees already moved over 100 thousand objects and over 60 thousand books. 

Over 1300 sculptures and 2300 pieces will also be moved out of the building and safely stored. 

Once reopened, the Museum has exciting plans for the future. The newly renovated space will open a new chapter and again become the meeting point for everyone seeking unique cultural experiences.