Description

For Bookends, Columbia hired Richard Avedon, then regarded as one of the best photographers in the world. His cover is a black-and-white close-up of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel side by side, their faces lit softly against a dark background, Garfunkel's hand raised behind his head. It is intimate and serious, a portrait of two young men who look older than their songs. Look closely and you can see Avedon himself reflected in Simon's eyes.

The photograph was only part of the package. Every copy included a large poster, and Columbia's president Clive Davis used its cost to justify raising the list price to $5.79, a dollar above the usual price. Simon objected, seeing it as a premium on what was expected to be the label's best-selling album of the year. Instead of fighting over the price, the duo negotiated a contract extension with a higher royalty rate.

The album, released on 3 April 1968, was a concept record that moved from youth to old age, and it included "Mrs. Robinson" and "America". Avedon's restrained portrait fitted that mood of reflection. It remains one of the most elegant covers of the 1960s, proof that a great photographer could make two faces and a black background feel like a story.

Credit

Cover photography by Richard Avedon