Vinyl Record cover art – an exciting investment

Record cover art has become highly collectible. Covers by famous artists are commanding record prices while some popular artists’ record covers are undervalued. Examples of artists whose cover art has grown in value in recent years are Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and, not least, Banksy. David Shrigley’s covers are an example of undervalued covers

Album covers on a wall, featuring "THINK TANK" with two figures in diving helmets. Bright colors; reflective surface creates depth.

People viewing colorful record covers on a white wall in a gallery. Some are smiling and pointing, creating a lively atmosphere.

Vinyl Record Cover Art on Display in a Gallery. Record cover art is finding its way into museum exhibitions. Moderna Museum in Malmö, Sweden, showed a complete collection of Andy Warhol’s record cover art in 2019. The picture above shows the opening evening that gathered many Warhol fans.

A selection of Banksy’s record and CD covers is part of a Banksy retrospective called Banksy: Building Castles in the Sky currently open (until December 31st, 2022) in New York.

Framed pop art on a dark wall, featuring colorful images of people, animals, and text. Bright colors and creative patterns stand out.

Framed Vinyl Record Art on a Wall.

Other exhibitions focus on a particular artist’s record covers, such as an exhibition of Roger Dean’s covers – for bands including Yes, Asia, Osibisa, etc – currently at the Haight Street Art Center in San Francisco, U.S.A. (until October 30th), and the Hipgnosis group – Pink Floyd etc -- at the Museum of Contemporary art – Dieter Kunerth, in Ottobüren, Germany (until November 27th). And street artist, and record cover designer, Shepard Fairey has an exhibition in Seoul, South Korea (until November 6th).

Four stylized record covers featuring bold graphics: microphone, woman's face, geometric pattern, and man shouting, with "OBEY" text prominent.

Examples of Shepard Fairey’s record cover art.

I mentioned Jean-Michel Basquiat’s record sleeves and these have been shown in several exhibitions.

Black album cover with abstract white drawings and text. Left side features "Test Pressing" and symbols. Right side shows figure with "The Offs" text, set on dark background. Retro punk vibe.

Covers for Rammelzee vs K-Roc’s “Beat Bop” and The Offs “First Record.”

David Shrigley is currently very popular for his tongue-in-cheek paintings and prints. He is a sometime DJ and record collector and has produced about seventy record covers. While his paintings and prints have become expensive it seems collectors have yet to discover his record cover art.

Two abstract paintings with colorful brushstrokes. Left reads "UGLY" in green, right has "CUNTS" in black circle. Bold and expressive.

Green spray-painted letters spell "NOODLES" on a white background with black lines. Paint drips create a casual, urban mood.

David Shrigley’s “Worried Noodles” book of lyrics made like a gatefold record cover.

But any vinyl record art cover needs to be displayed properly. There are many different framing opportunities available from bespoke frames – as shown in the exhibition of Banksy covers pictured above to off-the-shelf wooden frames, some of which may allow for the record to be removed for playing, or more luxurious frames like the Magic Vinyl Display frames seen in the first picture and the second picture from the Andy Warhol cover exhibition.

Richard Forrest, RockDoc