The name leaves one a little confused. Is it America that is iconic, or is the book about American icons that have much of the nation?s history? And indeed, whether we like it or not, ?America? shaped a lot of our planet?s recent history, especially the 20th century. From politics to sports, movies, food, fashion, ideas and yes, the image of being the land of opportunities all made US the magnet for most of the world.
Iconic America: A Roller-Coaster Ride through the Eye-popping Panorama of American Culture by fashion guru Tommy Hilfiger and photographer George Lois perhaps plays both the roles. ?Iconic America celebrates the snap, crackle and pop of American popular culture,? says the cover blurb. And it does so through pictures, combined with unique eclecticism.
It?s a sizeable tome, so has much space to adjust the sub-lime with ?icons? less so. The format overtakes other fea-tures ? each double spread is treated as a unit, and more often than not, nebulously linked in one way or another. So ages 52-53 have Marilyn Monroe, Playboy, the crown cap and Budweiser. Or Al Pacino figures with the Tommy gun and the St Valentine?s Day Massacre and Al Scarface Capone. Some links are more direct ? Washington crossing the Delaware with Roosevelt or Gloria Swanson and Avon. Or the godfathers ? James Brown and Marlon Brando. Some get their own spreads ? Mount Rushmore or Iwo Jima or New York.
The juxtaposition of imagery is striking ? the double spread of the Oscar statuette and the ?martyrdom of Mohammad Ali? are in similar poses. And perhaps that rescues it from just another pretty-picture, coffee-table book format, combining as it does photos, products, logos, paintings, cartoons and display typography for a pop blend that conveys the American dream. Text is minimal, just doing enough to encourage the reader to access more information on any particular subject.
What it does bring out are the most popular of images of America?s pop culture and the influence they have had across cultures. And celebrate the ?idea of America,? as Bono put it recently.