Assouline Hosts Book Launch For George Lois, The Original Troublemaker

[All photos by Jonathon Ziegler for PMc] In April of 2008, MoMA set up an exhibit that commemorated the legendary covers George Lois shot for Esquire from 1962 to 1972. His style was focusing solely on the subject - no background, no landscape...yet sending a strong message.

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His goal was to send the American public into debate. He sought creating controversy before it was the cool thing to do. He tackled everything from racism to feminism to the war in Vietnam when they were all taboo subjects.

His most famous cover, featuring Muhammad Ali with six arrows in his body, would send shock waves in the media even in the modern world of 10-surgeries-in-one-day Heidi Montag.

Viewed as a collection on the walls of the MoMA, the covers created a visual timeline and gave a sense of life in the 1960s. Since the iconic photos are no longer on display at the museum, the collection has been bound into a book, George Lois: The Esquire Covers @ MoMA.

Last night, Assouline hosted a book launch at their store in The Plaza Hotel. Guests included the Assouline family, Melissa Berkelhammer and, of course, George Lois himself.

Deirdre Foley-Mendelssohn, Francesca Mari, Justin Solitrin, Sarah Waiser

Debora Bandura, Daniel Lombardi, Horacio Fabiano

Kim Brown, April Clark, Milos Alcalay, Mark Tabiszewski

Jean Nihoul, Mimi Crume, Mark Childs

Catalina Penna, Patrick Morell, Tia Walker, Darryl Wise