Norman Ives: Constructions & Reconstructions

This first comprehensive account of a mid-century master covers the multi-faceted career of a fine artist, graphic designer, teacher, and publisher. It reflects Norman Ives's timeless relevance in the visual arts.

Norman Ives: Constructions & Reconstructions is an in-depth chronicle of the spirit and genius of master fine artist and renowned graphic designer Norman Ives. This book introduces unseen treasures showcasing the brilliant variety and vitality of his work. It fully defines Ives's signature use of letterform fragments. These became the lyrical strokes of his abstract constructions and reconstructions. The book is in itself a work of art.

Ives's design and art anticipates the percolating type-as-art movement popularized by Robert Indiana's LOVE sculptures. Type-related art has since become ubiquitous in painting and sculpture, as well as other massive architectural "type works." Ives's work fits squarely into this genre having roots in the early 20th-century Modern movement.

Ives was part of Josef Albers' restructured Yale School of Art which transformed the traditional teaching of graphic design, leading it towards a more demanding and thoughtful profession. Ives was a rare artist who was recognized for his innovative work in design. However, his vision extended well beyond the field of graphic design. His paintings and collages are collected by major museums: The 1967 Whitney Annual exhibition of American painting, the Guggenheim Museum, Yale University Art Gallery and various other institutions.
About the Author: After serving five years in the United States Coast Guard, Norman Ives began studies at Wesleyan University. Upon his graduation in 1950, he enrolled in a graduate art program at Yale University. This was the first class to reflect Josef Albers's tectonic restructuring. After graduating, Ives joined the design department faculty and was soon honored as "teacher of the year."

As a quintessential artist, Ives was attracted to graphic design where he might create works that balanced his passion for form with the additional need to reach a broader audience. His elegant symbols are most notable examples of that balance.

Two salient events illustrate the breadth of his work. Ives's eight-foot square painting, Number 3-L, was selected for the 1967 Whitney Annual Exhibition of American Artists. That same year, his graphic design was included in the Museum of Modern Art exhibition titled 3 graphic designers. The two others were Massimo Vignelli and Almir Mavignier.

With former classmate Sewell Sillman, they created Ives-Sillman, Inc., designing, printing and publishing elegant portfolios. Their first portfolio, Homage to the Square, was based on ten paintings of their mentor Josef Albers. Commissions soon came from other major artists.

At his death in early 1978, Ives was distinguished as a fine artist, graphic designer, publisher and teacher. There are few equals.

John T. Hill is a designer, photographer, and author. He has produced books presenting the work of wide-ranging talents, including Walker Evans, W. Eugene Smith, Edward Weston, Erwin Hauer, and Peter Sekaer.