Rush has announced the upcoming release of “The Art Of Rush”, a 272-page coffee table book that delves into the 40 year relationship with Rush and their longtime artist and illustrator Hugh Syme.
With a foreward by Rush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart, the project features interviews with each band member as Syme shares original illustrations, paintings, photography, and the stories behind each album that he has designed with the band since 1975.
Some of the stories include: furtively crossing the border for a guerilla-style shoot for 1977’s “A Farewell To Kings”, trying to herd a warren of rabbits for the cover of 1989’s “Presto”, descending into the depths of an autopsy lab to find a brain for 1978’s “Hemispheres”, building a pool inside Hugh's studio for 1996’s “Test For Echo”, and a stunt involving fire, whiskey and photographer Deborah Samuel for 1981’s “Moving Pictures.” But no history of the band's art would be complete without the story of the creation of arguably the band's most iconic image, The Starman, and cover art for 1976’s “2112.”
"From the first time Hugh and I met, we shared a level of communication that would sustain us through all the years of discussing art by long distance,” says Peart. “We had the same values and tastes in images and design, and simply spoke the same language. That's why I off-handedly referred to him one time as ‘serving a life sentence as my art director."
The pre-order for the Art Of Rush book will begin on Friday, March 27 at 10 am ET at Rushbackstage.com
Rush will launch a North American tour on May 8 in Tulsa, OK.
The 2015 trek is named after Rush’s 40th anniversary box set, “R40.”
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