Liberman’s early work life in France was diverse: he designed stage sets, briefly worked as an illustrator, and assisted to poster designer Cassandre. Aged eighteen, Alexander started his publishing career with VU, one of the world’s first illustrated periodicals. There he collaborated with renowned photographers, including Brassaï, Man Ray, and Robert Capa. Eventually, Alexander rose to managing director at Vu, but left it in 1936.
i think the term “art director” is the greatest misnomer. there’s no art in magazines unless you are reproducing works of art. —alexander liberman
Vogue Magazine Staff standing at Vogue Office at Place du Palais-Bourbon, Paris, 1950. From left to right: Alexander Liberman, Nina LeClerc, Michel DeBrunhof, Edna Woolman Chase, Iva Patcevitch, Thomas Kernan, Despina Messinesi, Peggy Riley. Photo by Donald Honeyman / Condé Nast via Getty Images.
With the outbreak of World War II, Liberman fled to the United States together with his future wife, Tatiana Yacovleff Du Plessix. Always well-connected, he soon took the post of art director at Vogue, reshaping the look and layout of every publication he touched. Twenty years later Alexander reached the role of Editorial Director at Condé Nast Publications, where he stayed for another thirty-two years. During that period, he was responsible for the look, style and content of Vogue, Mademoiselle, Glamour, Bride's and House & Garden—five of the most popular women's magazines in the US, with a total readership of more than five million.
