This was the front cover of Animals, Pink Floyd's 1977 conceptual masterpiece. The album is loosely based on George Orwell's political fable Animal Farm.
This is one of the most iconic images in rock 'n' roll, with one of the most often told anecdotes to go with it.
Some comments from Storm: “...the whole event had a ludicrous and Spinal Tap feeling to it, especially when faced with newspaper headlines blaring out that airline pilots were seeing flying pigs (had the world gone mad?), it was only by staging it for real that the essential dynamics of the building and the beauty of the dramatic sky were captured – a majestic background for a majestic pig. How splendid, how absurd, how rock ’n’ roll.” - Storm Thorgerson.
Image courtesy of Pink Floyd. Design by Roger Waters. Photography by Hipgnosis.
Exhibition History:
Lambda Print
Mind Over Matter - The Images of Pink Floyd: 40 Years of Collaboration with Storm Thorgerson of Hipgnosis and StormStudios, June - July, 2008, San Francisco Art Exchange, San Francisco, CA.
Release Notes:
Lambda Print
In 2008, Storm Thorgerson and SFAE celebrated Pink Floyd's 40th anniversary with an exhibition of signed Lambda digital C-Type photographic prints of album cover related images that he had created for the band over the previous 40 years.
These included works he produced both as a founding member of the design collective Hipgnosis, and as an independent designer with StormStudios.
The Lambda printing process involves using lasers to expose a photo-sensitive paper which is then wet-processed, similar to a tradtional dark room photographic print.
Storm's Lambda prints were produced as signed, open editions and were only briefly available for sale as they were intended only for the anniversary celebration. Relatively few of any single image were produced.
Serigraph Print
This image was published in the UK as a signed, limited edition serigraph in 2000.
Collector's Notes:
Lambda Print
Each color photograph was printed to order in the UK and then hand-signed by Storm Thorgerson. When he passed away, he did not leave an archive of these prints behind, only the handful that he had pre-printed and signed for exhibition remained available in our inventory.
Occasionally we may also have one available for resale from a private collector.
The individual print details are below, please contact us for the latest availability.
20" x 28" Sheet Size
Signed, Open Edition
Lambda Digital C-Type Print - SOLD OUT
Serigraph Print
The entire edition was printed and signed at the time by Storm Thorgerson. Several were also signed by Aubrey Powell.
This serigraph edition is one of the most popular limited edition prints from the entire Hipgnosis catalog, there are very very few available. Please contact us for details!
25" x 33" Paper Size
17" x 26" Image Size
Signed, Limited Edition (295)
Serigraph Print on Paper - EXTREMELY RARE