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On November 8th Art Vinyl launches ‘Best Art Vinyl 2021’, the annual search for the most creative and well-designed record cover of the year, joining an archive of outstanding designs from the past sixteen years. A diverse shortlist of 50 striking record covers is compiled by a panel of highly respected industry experts and designers. This year sees works by a range of artists and designers from household names like Damien Hirst to genius new creatives, revealing their debut commercial projects in the form of vinyl record covers. Music artists whose album covers have made the top 50 this year include legendary veterans, Duran Duran with their 15th studio album ‘Future Past’ and The Manic Street Preachers with their 14th LP ‘The Ultra Vivid Lament’. The public will be invited to vote for their favourites online at www.artvinyl.com or in person via the exhibitions that will run alongside the Award, which will ultimately decide the overall winner.

This year to celebrate the outstanding sleeve designs, Best Art Vinyl 2021 will be accompanied by exhibitions across the UK, culminating with final winners revealed at an Awards event and unique art installation on 6th January at The Hari Hotel in Belgravia, London, voted the No1 hotel in the UK for Trip Advisor’s 2021 Traveller’s Choice Award.

An exhibition that curates all 50 nominations for Best Art Vinyl 2021 together with the previous winning sleeves from the last 16 years will be running at The Spring Arts Centre in Havant, UK. The exhibition will include early work by Dan Hillier for Royal Blood’s eponymous album, work from the sixteenth century by Dutch artist Pieter Bruegel for The Fleet Foxes’ LP and Creative Corporation’s design for David Gilmour’s fourth solo studio album. In addition, a Virtual Best Art Vinyl Exhibition will allow visitors to wander online through all 50 nominations displayed in Art Vinyl’s unique FlipFrames and signature exhibition format, for a highly immersive 360-experience with ‘hot spots’ dotted around the gallery for sleeve art credits, back stories about the creative process and a chance to vote for their favourites from
Last year, Best Art Vinyl 2020 saw over 10,000 public votes for the best in art, photography and graphic design in modern music culture.

The public vote awarded first place to Bristol punk band IDLES’ Ultra Mono, on Partisan records – an image that embodied the bracing energy of the group with a large pink ball representing their ‘unstoppable and unavoidable’ ideal of love and acceptance, colliding forcefully with any opposition. A poignant and positive message and fitting winner for what was a testing year of challenges for all. Best Art Vinyl founder, Andrew Heeps, comments: “Once again the square, Instagram-ready artists’ canvas increases in popularity alongside Vinyl Records. The Art Vinyl archive of contemporary art will grow again this year and whether the 50 nominations reflect the art and music that’s accompanied us through the strangest of years, you decide..”

Full list of Nominated Records and Public voting on www.artvinyl.com

The winners will be announced on 6th January 2021 at the Hari Hotel London Belgravia

For xxclusive offers on Art Vinyl Play & Display Frames head to eil.com