Beatriz Feitler (February 5, 1938 – April 8, 1982) was a Brazilian

designer A designer is a person who plans the form or structure of something before it is made, by preparing drawings or plans. In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, products, processes, laws, games, graphics, services, or exp ...

and art director best known for her work in '' Harper's Bazaar'', ''

Ms. Ms. (American English) or Ms (British English; normally , but also , or when unstressed)''Oxford English Dictionary'' online, Ms, ''n.2''. Etymology: "An orthographic and phonetic blend of Mrs ''n.1'' and miss ''n.2'' Compare mizz ''n.'' The pr ...

'', ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

'' and the premiere issue of the modern '' Vanity Fair''.

Early life, education and early career

Feitler was born in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of the same name, Brazil's List of Brazilian states by population, third-most populous state, and the List of largest citi ...

in 1938, after her Jewish parents Rudi and Erna Feitler fled Nazi Germany. She spent most of her working life in the United States where she graduated from

Parson's School of Design Parsons School of Design, known colloquially as Parsons, is a private art and design college located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. Founded in 1896 after a group of progressive artists broke away from established Manhatt ...

in New York City. She designed record jackets for

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most ...

. After her graduation in 1959, she returned to Brazil to study painting in Rio de Janeiro. In partnership with two other graphic designers Sérgio Jaguaribe (the cartoonist

Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the thi ...

) and Glauco Rodrigues, she started ''Estudio G,'' an art studio specializing in posters, album covers, and book design. Feitler worked in an advertising agency with for the progressive ''Senhor'' magazine. Amongst her most important works of this period are the book covers made for Editora do Autor, a brief publishing enterprise of the authors

Fernando Sabino Fernando Tavares Sabino (October 12, 1923 – October 11, 2004) was a Brazilian writer and journalist. Life Sabino was born in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, the son of Dominic Sabino and D. Odette Tavares Sabino. He lived there until he was tw ...

and

Rubem Braga Rubem Braga (12 January 1913 – 19 December 1990) was a Brazilian writer of '' crônicas''. He was born in Cachoeiro de Itapemirim city, state of Espírito Santo. Braga was raised in his hometown, but at an early age was sent to the city of N ...

''Harper's Bazaar''

In 1961 Feitler returned to the United States where she was hired as an art assistant at '' Harper's Bazaar'' by her former teacher at Parsons,

Marvin Israel Marvin Israel (July 3, 1924 – May 7, 1984) was an American artist, photographer, painter, teacher and art director from New York City known for modern/surreal interiors, abstract imagery. Israel created sinister shadowy and exuberant interiors ...

, becoming co-art director of the magazine along with

Ruth Ansel Ruth Ansel is an American graphic designer. She became a co-art director of '' Harper's Bazaar'' in the 1960s alongside Bea Feitler.2010. "Creative Review: ART DIRECTION: Ruth Ansel." ''Creative Review (England)'', May 01. ''NewsBank'', EBSCO''hos ...

only two years later. Feitler and Ansel's joint tenure at ''Harper's Bazaar'' created high quality design while responding to the political and cultural change of the 1960s. Feitler was often ahead of her time, in 1965 she and

Richard Avedon Richard Avedon (May 15, 1923 – October 1, 2004) was an American fashion and portrait photographer. He worked for '' Harper's Bazaar'', '' Vogue'' and ''Elle'' specializing in capturing movement in still pictures of fashion, theater and da ...

used the first black model in a shoot for a major fashion magazine, leading to a public backlash, and loss of business. Black women would not begin to be regularly featured in the magazine for several years after Feitler. "Her keen aesthetic judgement was appreciated and respected by her peers – and especially by the photographers. In a 1968 Graphics article

recalled the close creative collaboration of the two young women designers for the cover of the April 1965 issue of ''Bazaar''." The final cover of a pink space helmet won an ADC medal.

Later career

In 1972, Feitler left '' Harper's Bazaar'' and joined

Gloria Steinem Gloria Marie Steinem (; born March 25, 1934) is an American journalist and social-political activist who emerged as a nationally recognized leader of second-wave feminism in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Steinem was a ...

to launch ''

'' magazine, where she would remain until 1974. She was the first art director at ''Ms.'' magazine where she created an experimental look using day-glo inks and mixtures of photography, illustration, and typographic compositions. Between 1974 and 1980 Feitler started teaching design classes at the

School of Visual Arts The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. History This school was started by ...

(SVA) and worked on several freelance projects like posters and costumes for the Alvin Ailey Dance Company, ad campaigns for

Christian Dior Christian Ernest Dior (; 21 January 1905 – 24 October 1957) was a French fashion designer, best known as the founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, Christian Dior SE, which is now owned by parent company LVMH. His fashion houses a ...

Diane von Furstenberg Diane may refer to: People * Diane (given name) Film * ''Diane'' (1929 film), a German silent film * ''Diane'' (1956 film), a historical drama film starring Lana Turner * ''Diane'' (2017 film), a mystery film directed by Michael Mongillo * '' ...

, Bill Haire and

Calvin Klein Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc., in 1968. In addition to clothing, he also has given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, a ...

, and record jackets including the album

Black and Blue ''Black and Blue'' is the 13th British and 15th American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 23 April 1976 by Rolling Stones Records. This album was the first recorded after former guitarist Mick Taylor qui ...

by the

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

. In 1975, thanks to the insistence of

Annie Leibovitz Anna-Lou Leibovitz ( ; born October 2, 1949) is an American portrait photographer best known for her engaging portraits, particularly of celebrities, which often feature subjects in intimate settings and poses. Leibovitz's Polaroid photo of Jo ...

, Feitler started working for ''

'', beginning her six-year association with the magazine which would lead her to redesigning its format twice.

Illness and death

Feitler's final project was the premiere issue of the revived '' Vanity Fair''. At that time she had undergone surgery and chemotherapy to treat a rare form of cancer and had been undergoing chemotherapy for several months already. Feitler died April 8, 1982, before the issue was published.

Early life, education and early career

''Harper's Bazaar''

Later career

Illness and death

See also

References

Further reading