‘Nervous Breakdown’ Goes Inside Raymond Pettibon’s Legendary Album Art Archive

Summary

Raymond Pettibon’s extensive album art archive is getting published in Nervous Breakdown, a new book by David Zwirner
The publication arrives alongside an exhibition of Pettibon’s works from the Stefan Hull Collection at Wilhelm-Hack-Museum in Germany, now on view through September

You might not recognize the name Raymond Pettibon, but you’ve almost certainly seen his work. He created many of the iconic images associated with punk rock – on album covers, T-shirts, and even in digital music playlists. Now, a new book called Nervous Breakdown, published by David Zwirner, is showcasing a collection of his art.

This book showcases all the album cover art created by artist Raymond Pettibon for bands like Sonic Youth, Black Flag, and Iggy Pop, as well as for Rolling Stone magazine, since 1979. It features over two hundred pieces from the Stefan Thull Collection and coincides with an exhibition at the Wilhelm-Hack-Museum in Germany.

Pettibon emerged from the Southern California punk rock scene in the early 1980s, closely connected to the band Black Flag, which was founded by his brother, Greg Ginn. His ink drawings are often anxious, darkly humorous, and combine elements from comics, books, politics, and music to reveal a gritty side of American culture.

One standout piece is the album cover he created for Sonic Youth’s first major-label release, Goo, in 1990. The book also features an essay about Pettibon written in 1985 by Kim Gordon, the band’s bassist and singer. She first met the artist at a party in Hermosa Beach in the early 1980s, recalling, “We went outside and there was Raymond. Someone introduced us.” She added that he already seemed like a legend to them at the time.

The art exhibition, Nervous Breakdown, is currently showing in Germany until September 20th. You can now pre-order the exhibition catalog from David Zwirner for $60.

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