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Artwork of the Week

Artwork of the Week: September 20, 2021

McRay Magleby, “Peace Wave


McRay Magleby (b.1941), Peace Wave, 1985, 1985, silk screen print, 33 5/8 x 19 1/2 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, 2012.

McRay “Mac” Magleby is celebrated as one of the most influential poster artists in the world. During his many years as head of design for the BYU Press, Magleby created eye-catching posters for campus programs and events that garnered international renown. His designs merged rich fields of silk-screened color and dynamic lines with innovative themes and styles to intrigue viewers—elevating his posters into a realm of the finest art. Beyond his work for BYU, Mac designed Salt Lake City 2002 Olympiad posters and U.S. postage stamps, but he is most famous fort his "Wave of Peace" design. The poster, which shows a rising wave breaking into doves, was designed to honor the 40th anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima.