Hugh Masekela
1972
Artist
Milton Glaser
DIMENSIONS
36 x 24 in. (91.4 x 61 cm)
OBJECT NUMBER
PH.5885
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
United States
CREDIT LINE
Poster House Permanent Collection
KEYWORDS
Concert, Entertainment, Jazz, Music, Portrait, South Africa, The Push Pin Legacy

Known as the Father of South African Jazz, Hugh Masekela became an international sensation when his song “Grazing in the Grass” became a Billboard no. 1 hit in 1968. In this two-color poster (the brown is created by overlapping the red and the green), Milton Glaser fills Masekela’s body with a pattern that resembles traditional South African shweshwe fabric, offset against a stepped-line motif. The poster also features Baby Teeth Baroque, a rare variant of Glaser’s typeface, in which curved notches are used within the letters. This subtle graphic element was meant to echo Masekela’s smile. This image is repeated on the album cover for Masekela’s Introducing Hezoleh Soundz (1973), which you can see on the wall. In it, Glaser added the color yellow and zoomed in on Masekela’s face. When opened, the album cover reveals the musician’s full body. The inner gatefold and liner notes also incorporate the floral and geometric patterns and the unique typeface. 

For inquiries about image licensing, please contact collections@posterhouse.org.

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