“Kings Of The Road” by Syd Brak, 1985.
34 years ago, art director Paul Rodriguez of the Athena art retailer company (established in 1964) had an epiphany—and his vision would go on to become the best-selling poster in British history. Shot by photographer Spencer Rowell in London in May of 1986, Rodriguez’s conception of a shirtless male model holding a newborn baby boy, “Man and Baby” (better known as “L’Enfant”) sold five million copies. Rodriguez got rich, Rowell bought himself an airplane and the model, Adam Perry, claimed that the touching yet titular photo got him laid three thousand times. One of Athena’s other superstars was illustrator Syd Brak.
Before relocating to London in 1978, Brak was working as the assistant art director for advertising firm J. Walter Thompson in his birthplace of South Africa. After making the leap to London, Brak’s work caught the attention of Athena in the early 80s. Long before “L’Enfant” became the it image of the 80s, Brak’s 1982 airbrushed “Long Distance Kiss,” would become the number one selling poster in the world. Here’s Brak on his early work with Athena:
“At the time, the teenagers (in the late 70s) were into punk. Punk was a nice look, very colorful—it was happy. But essentially it was also rather dirty at the same time. And I imagined what would this be like if an Italian designer got a hold of this look and what he would do with it? And that was the result. Airbrushing is a very laborious technique. It makes me very proud.”
The popularity of “Long Distance Kiss” was the first in a kiss-themed series Athena had Brak create to break through to the teenage girl market, who, in Brak’s words, “aspire to maturity and sophistication.” Brak’s glossy, airbrushed images featuring spikey glam rock-colored hair and equally eye-popping David Bowie-esque makeup helped fuel the boundary-pushing looks of the New Romantic movement. They are also reminiscent of looks created by two popular makeup artists from the early 1970s, Pierre La Roche, and legendary Australian makeup artist Richard Sharah—both of whom worked extensively with Bowie, Steve Strange of Visage, Gary Numan, and Toyah. The decade of the 80s belonged to Brak and other airbrush artists, as the medium took over art in that decade, appearing on everything from book covers, to albums, VHS tapes, and of course, posters. Brak was one of the most popular/in-demand artists of the decade. If you are a child of the 80s, Brak’s artwork will be instantly recognizable to you, much like the artwork of Patrick Nagel, intrinsically linked to the neon decade as well.
“Long Distance Kiss.”
“Electric Kiss.”
“Wired for Sound.”
“Breaking Glass.”
“Rainbow Makeup.”
“Ministry of Love,” 1984.
The cover of the 2007 single “Hold Me” by Jupiter Black featuring Syd Brak’s artwork. The back cover is below.
A series of images created by Brak for Clarks shoes in 1986.
Artwork by Brak for Terry Gilliam’s 1985 film ‘Brazil.’
Previously on Dangerous Minds:
The f*cked up Fumetti of Tanino Liberatore and his friendship with Frank Zappa
SatoMasochism: The sci-fi erotica of Pater Sato
Stunning airbrushed images & other lurid artwork created for ‘A Clockwork Orange’
Futuristic fantasy album artwork from the glossy world of Italo disco in the 80s