Best Art Vinyl – Album Artwork Through The Ages

Best Art Vinyl: album artwork through the ages is a celebration of iconic vinyl album artwork from 1949 – 2021. This exhibition showcases the creativity and ingenuity behind the design of vinyl album covers, exploring the fascinating history and inspiration behind some iconic artworks such as Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures, the Sex Pistol’s Never Mind the Bollocks and The Beatles The White Album. 

At The Collection Museum, the exhibition is accompanied by the 18th Best Art Vinyl Award, an annual search for the most creative and well-designed record cover of the year. The Best Art Vinyl Award sees a diverse shortlist of the 50 best record covers of the year compiled by a panel of highly respected industry experts, artists and designers. You are invited to vote for your favourite work online, with the final winners revealed on 5 January 2023. 

The exhibition is complemented by material from Lincolnshire Heritage Service’s archives and local lenders, inviting you to take a trip down memory lane and discover Lincolnshire’s surprising musical past. Explore newspaper articles about The Great Western Express Festival, Lincolnshire’s very own version of Woodstock in the 1970s!

Everyone has a connection to music, whether it is your favourite album, the song that gets you on the dancefloor or your first ever gig. As part of the exhibition, The Collection invites you to share these memories by contributing your own favourite vinyl album to the display or share your most treasured music memory via the Museum of Music Memories in the Courtyard Gallery. Finally, and most importantly, don’t forget to take a turn on the jukebox, where you can find a track from a previous decade that will make you want to dance.

Best Art Vinyl: album artwork through the ages is a touring exhibition in collaboration with The Civic, Barnsley and Art Vinyl.