Artsology

Miles Davis Album Cover Art

I saw an exhibition titled "We Want Miles" in 2010 at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, which was a multimedia retrospective consisting of musical excerpts, film and documentary clips, drawings by Miles Davis, paintings by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Mati Klarwein, photographs by Annie Leibovitz and Irving Penn, costumes, musical instruments and musical scores lent by the Davis family. Despite being a museum exhibition about a musician, there was no shortage of visual interest. In looking back at some of my pictures from the show, I remembered how much I liked some of Davis' album cover art.

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Miles Davis exhibition We Want Miles at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

Considering Miles' own creativity in everything he did - his music, his clothing, his own art - it's no surprise that his album cover art had quite a spectacular range of images. While Miles Davis recorded over a hundred albums (including studio albums, live recordings, and compilation albums), I've collected my Top 20 favorites to show you the visual ideas that accompanied his incredible music.

Miles Davis album cover art for Round About Midnight

Miles Davis: 'Round About Midnight, 1957

Miles Davis album cover art for Filles de Kilimanjaro

Miles Davis, Filles de Kilimanjaro, 1968

Miles Davis album cover art for Bitches Brew

Miles Davis: Bitches Brew, 1970

Miles Davis album cover art for the 40th anniversary release of Bitches Brew

Miles Davis, Bitches Brew, 40th Anniversary, 2010

Miles Davis album cover art for On The Corner

Miles Davis: On the Corner, 1972

Miles Davis album cover art for The Complete Sessions for On The Corner

Miles Davis: The Complete On the Corner Sessions, 2007

Miles Davis album cover art for Agharta

Miles Davis, Agharta, 1975

Miles Davis album cover art for In The Sky

Miles Davis: Miles in the Sky, 1968

Miles Davis album cover art for Sketches of Spain

Miles Davis: Sketches of Spain, 1960

Miles Davis album cover art for Quiet Nights

Miles Davis: Quiet Nights (with Gil Evans), 1963

Miles Davis album cover art for Miles Davis And Horns

Miles Davis: Miles Davis and Horns, 1956

Miles Davis album cover art for Relaxin with the Miles Davis Quintet

Miles Davis: Relaxin' with the Miles Davis Quintet, 1958

Miles Davis album cover art for Cookin with the Miles Davis Quintet

Miles Davis: Cookin' with the Miles Davis Quintet, 1957

Miles Davis album cover art for Miles Davis at Carnegie Hall

Miles Davis: At Carnegie Hall, 1961

Miles Davis album cover art for Water Babies

Miles Davis: Water Babies, 1976

Miles Davis album cover art for Black Beauty, Miles Davis at Fillmore West

Miles Davis: Black Beauty: Live at the Fillmore West, 1973

Miles Davis album cover art for Miles

Miles Davis, Miles: The New Miles Davis Quintet, 1956

Miles Davis album cover art for Blue Moods

Miles Davis: Blue Moods, 1955

Miles Davis album cover art for Star People

Miles Davis: Star People, 1983

Miles Davis album cover art for 1958 Miles

Miles Davis: 1958 Miles, 1958