1981 Verdi: Rigoletto Asolo Opera Guild Alex Steinweiss Sarasota

Date: 1981
Artist: Steinweiss, Alex 
Size (in): 36" x 25"
Size (cm): 91.5 x 63.5
Condition: A-/B+
Linen backed: No

This vintage original poster featuring Verdi’s Rigoletto was created for the Asolo Opera Guild in Sarasota, Florida by the influential graphic designer Alex Steinweiss.   Steinweiss is widely recognized as the father of record album cover art having been the first art director for Columbia Records. Prior to Steinwiess’s innovations, record albums were typically sold in plain drab covers or covers imprinted with record store advertising.  Steinweiss created the first illustrated cover for a 78 rpm record in 1938 and also pioneered the graphically enhanced paperboard covers for LP albums introduced in 1953.  

Steinwiess is most remembered for elevating the record album cover design to an artform but he also produced posters such as this one for the Asolo Opera Guild in Sarasota, Florida.  The lower left corner of the image area is signed in print Piedra Blanca (White Stone) which was a pseudonym Steinweiss sometimes used on record covers he had designed.  The lower left margin shows a 1981 copyright by Alex Steinweiss and indicates the publisher as Impress Graphics of Port Chester, New York.   The lower right corner is printed “Reproduced Courtesy Asolo Opera Guild, Sarasota, FL Litho. USA”.

This vintage original poster is free or tape or pinholes and was probably never hung up or used.  The poster shows light handling wear including some bumping along the bottom edge and bit of creasing to the lower two corner tips.  The poster is clean and the colors bright. Overall condition is very good.