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 exper ...

and

art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...

best known for her work in ''

Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' (stylized as ''Harper's BAZAAR'') is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. Bazaar has been published in New York City since November 2, 1867, originally as a weekly publication entitled ''Harper's Bazar''."Corporat ...

'', ''

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. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' 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, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

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 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 the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

and

London Records London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...

. 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 felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...

) 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 and Rubem Braga.

''Harper's Bazaar''

In 1961 Feitler returned to the United States where she was hired as an art assistant at ''

'' 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 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 ...

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 ''

'' and joined

Gloria Steinem Gloria Marie Steinem ( ; born March 25, 1934) is an American journalist and social movement, 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. ...

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 Silas ...

(SVA) and worked on several freelance projects like posters and costumes for the

Alvin Ailey Dance Company Founded in 1958, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) is the largest modern dance company in the United States.Dance Data Project (October 2024) 2024 Largest Contemporary and Modern Companies Report Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater ...

, ad campaigns for

Christian Dior Christian Ernest Dior (; 21 January 1905 – 24 October 1957) was a French fashion designer and founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, Dior, Christian Dior SE. His fashion house is known all around the world, having gained promi ...

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 * ''D ...

, Bill Haire and

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

, and record jackets including the album

Black and Blue ''Black and Blue'' is the thirteenth studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 23 April 1976, by Rolling Stones Records. This album was the first record after former guitarist Mick Taylor quit in December 1974. ...

by the

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

. In 1975, thanks to the insistence of

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

, 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