The Art of Atari book is out
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It will be published in October this year The Art of Atari, the first official collection of original illustrations created for arcade machines, home consoles and computers by the pioneering company in the world of video games.
At 350 pages, this hardcover compendium covers more than 40 years of artwork—many of it previously unpublished—used on the boxes, advertisements, catalogues and marketing materials for such classics as Missile Command, Asteroids and Centipede.
The book, written by Robert V. Conte and Tim Lapetino, includes statements from graphic artists involved in Atari's rich history, with behind-the-scenes details on how the most iconic games from the early days of the industry were conceived.
"I've always been fascinated by the design art on Atari game boxes, ever since I was a kid and my dad brought home our first Atari 2600 console. That art stayed with me; and several years ago, I wondered about the unsung artists who created it, as well as Atari's other unsung heroes. I reached out to one artist, Cliff Spohn; and the work just snowballed from there," Lapetino told Atariteca.
He noted that the book is the fruit of four years of work. "I have made contact with many of the artists and photographers who were there at Atari, and who collected slides, negatives and other materials ready for production. Many pieces have been in the hands of artists or private collectors, and others in the collections of a couple of prominent museums - and they have been generous in sharing their collections."
Indeed, the work represents the most comprehensive retrospective to date, covering Atari's beginnings from 1972 and commenting on the covers of hundreds of classic titles, designed to enhance the experience of children and adults who enjoyed the beginning of the new era of electronic entertainment.
"Atari's creative culture set the standard for Silicon Valley startups, while its approach to technique and design produced an impressive body of work in illustration, graphic design and industrial design," said Lapetino, who is also executive director of the Museum of Video Game Art.
Lapetino concludes: "Atari's art inspired a generation and created a bridge from the simple on-screen graphics of those early games to the imaginations of eager gamers. Atari's creative efforts became the foundation for what would later become a multi-billion dollar industry."
The book will be published by Dynamite Entertainment and will be priced at $39.99. The foreword was written by Ernest Cline, author of the New York Times bestseller "Ready Player One," soon to be a film directed by Steven Spielberg.
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