David Stone Martin's 100th Birthday Commemorated with New Fine Art Collection

In the world of jazz there's one artist collected the world over who's never played a note of music yet left an indelible mark on jazz culture and modern art & design.

David Stone Martin (1913 - 1992) was one of the most prolific and influential artists of the postwar era. With his signature hand sketched graphics in two or three primary colors he perfectly captured the energy and spontaneity of the jazz idiom and post war America. Martin created the artwork for over 400 record album covers from the late 40's to the early 60's. These iconic designs were created for a who's who of jazz royalty: Count Basie, Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday, John Coltrane, Stan Getz, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington and many other jazz giants.

For the first time ever - and to celebrate the centennial of his birth - 100 artworks are being released as limited edition fine art prints.

"We couldn't know," Los Angeles Times art critic William Wilson once mused in print, "what a delicate balance of talent, opportunity and social vectors it takes to create a phenomenon like Martin."

The fine art prints are published by Jazzartz and available online (www.JAZZARTZ.com) or at their Laguna Beach, CA gallery just outside Los Angeles.

"Some people are called an "artist's artist" or "musician's musician", but David is the only person we can call a true "musician's artist" said Vincent Gerard, Jazzartz Gallery founder and creative director.

Martin was a modernist master who in many ways not only influenced postwar design culture with the importance of a Charles Eames or a George Nelson, but was also the force that established a visual identity to the uniquely American art form of jazz.

"This is an Important American story" added Gerard. "It's amazing David's work has never been presented as fine art. He's by far the most prolific and collected album cover artist the world over - many buy the albums just for his art. Yet he's never been seen beyond 12" LP album jackets - all poor in reproduction. His work can now be experienced as never before."

The restoration process started over 5 years ago and the results retain their pure lyrical modernism with a feel still fresh, clean and contemporary. Digital restoration and reproduction technology give Martin's art a detail and color brilliance never before seen. The archival digital pigment prints are published on a fine art museum stock handmade in Germany and inks used in the production process produce 100+ year's archival prints that enhance every detail of Martin's signature line work with an amazing color fidelity that captures each pen and brush stroke.

"We worked with David's son Tony Martin, an acclaimed artist in his own right, to get the color perfect and quality very, very high." added Gerard.

The sizes of the editions are all square (just like album covers) at 14", 24", 36" & 44". They're priced for the young collector market starting at $350 up to $1,750 for the extra large 44" works.

Martin's work is included in collections at The Museum of Modern Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Art Institute of Chicago and The Smithsonian Institution. He was recently the subject of a Jazz at Lincoln Center retrospective.

Portions of all profits are donated to jazz charitable foundations and educational programs including The Michael Feinstein Great American Songbook Initiative, American Jazz Museum, The Jazz Museum in Harlem, Jazz Foundation of America and Justice for Jazz Artists.

Located in Laguna Beach, CA just outside of LA, Jazzartz is the definitive art gallery for all things jazz. Our collection represents all the masters who shaped the image of mid-century jazz including David Stone Martin, Jim Flora, William Claxton and Herman Leonard.