Art Vinyl has revealed the winners of the 19th Best Art Vinyl Award held tonight (11th Jan) at the Hari in Belgravia, London.
Securing first place was University Professor Michelle Henning for her captivating cover art on PJ Harvey’s album I Inside the Old Year Dying (below).
Henning’s intricate work, which (apparently) involved months of preparation and combining multiple photographs, received high praise. Speaking about her creation, Henning remarked, “I just needed one stick… a simple single object would give it the feel of the classic album covers I admire.”
The second-place winner is Melodie McDaniel for her striking black and white baptismal concept photography for Gabriels’ Angels & Queens – Part II (below). McDaniel, known for her work with icons like Madonna and Rihanna, was inspired for the concept by lead singer Jacob Lusk’s religious background.
In third place, the album cover of Evolve by Sub Focus (below), created by Mat Maitland from Big Active, wowed audiences with its lenticular LP format and machine learning-enhanced imagery. Maitland explained, “We had some decisions to make in how to present the concept… we decided to remove any sense of environment…”
And here are all the 50 nominees:
Andrew Heeps, founder of Best Art Vinyl, praised the winners, stating, “Simplicity and thoughtful concept provide the many layers for this year’s winners… bringing levels of artistic complexity and techniques together.”
The top 50 nominees from 2023 formed an eye-catching art installation at the Hari, showcasing the breadth and diversity of modern record cover art. The Best Art Vinyl Award, now in its 19th year, continues to celebrate the best in art, photography, and graphic design in the music industry, joining a prestigious archive of visual artists.
Fans of music and art alike can explore the stories behind these creative works on Art Vinyl’s blog series, gaining insights into the creative process and the fusion of music and visual art.
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