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Coming soon

Cover to Cover

The Gary Burden Archive
20 – 30 June 2025 | starting at 12:00 PDT

"Gary didn't just design covers—he understood the music, the moment, and the people. He made our work look like it felt."
- Jackson Browne

Gary Burden (1933–2018)
Since the late 1960s, Gary Burden has been one of the most influential figures in the visual history of popular music, revolutionising album cover design and shaping the aesthetic of a generation. As a pioneering art director and designer, Burden brought depth, intimacy, and storytelling to the packaging of records, transforming them into cultural artefacts. Through long-standing collaborations with legendary artists—including Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, the Eagles, The Doors, and Crosby, Stills & Nash—Burden created some of the most memorable and era-defining album covers of all time.

"Gary Burden was the greatest album cover art director in the world. I am so thankful for the body of work we created together. He made it all worthwhile."
- Neil Young

Drawing from his deep roots in the Laurel Canyon artistic community and the counterculture ethos of the 1960s and '70s, Burden's covers reflected a spirit of authenticity and experimentation. His close creative partnership with rock photographer Henry Diltz gave rise to a uniquely warm, documentary-style visual language—one that continues to influence album art and graphic design today.

This auction presents a rare and extraordinary opportunity to acquire original mechanicals and concept designs from an artist whose vision helped define not just how we hear music, but how we see it. Each piece offers a tangible connection to a golden era of rock history, and to the man who gave it its unmistakable visual identity.

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Lot gallery

11 lots available

Joni Mitchell: A rare album cover proof for Blue with tape, circa 1971, 2

Eagles: The original hand-drawn concept design by Gary Burden for the album cover for Desperado, 1973, 2

Neil Young: A Grammy Nomination Certificate and Medal for the Album Neil Young Archives Vol. 1 (1963-1972), 2009, 3

Poco / Eagles: A blueprint poster of the Poco + The Eagles Family Tree by Pete Frame (British, born 1942), circa 1971-1972,

Jackson Browne: The rare and original 'Water Bag' used for the debut album Jackson Browne, circa 1972,

Eagles: An RIAA 'Gold' Disc Award for the Album Eagles, 1972,

Gary Burden's Personal & Working Sketchbook 7 featuring designs for Neil Young, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and Crazy Horse, also with original art by Rick Griffin, Gary Burden (American, 1933-2018), circa 1970,

Joni Mitchell (Canadian, born 1943): The original artwork used for the album cover for Ladies of the Canyon, 1970,

Eagles: The lithograph by Boyd Elder (American, 1944-2018) used on the album cover for One of These Nights, 1975,

Poco: The original album cover art for their self-titled album Poco, circa 1970,

The Doors: Two album cover proofs for Morrison Hotel, circa 1970, 2

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