Luba Lukova is a Bulgarian-born artist, educated at the Academy of Fine Arts in Sofia, who has been living and working in the United States since 1991. She got her start in theater poster art in both Europe and the United States. Her art addresses contemporary issues and uses effective visual metaphors to convey her messages with a definite focus on social justice and political causes.
Luba Lukova indicated to me that she feels it is this aesthetic which prompted art director Sarah Habibi to ask her to develop two impressive Criterion covers so far.
Sarah Habibi wrote to Luba Lukova to provide some positive thoughts director Peter Davis had on the cover for “Hearts and Minds.”
Sarah Habibi:
This has to be one of the best emails I’ve ever gotten from a director. Congratulations. He loves your work and is thrilled….
Peter Davis:
My first glance at her work gives me the same shiver as Goya’s Cinco de Mayo, Guernica, and Maus… a stunning work I’m proud to be associated with.
From Criterion Designs, page 169:
Peter Davis’ landmark documentary is an unflinching look at the Vietnam War, giving equal weight to the effects of the conflict on the people of Vietnam and American soldiers. This bloodred cover by Luba Lukova speaks to the tragic ways in which the two sides inexorably became intertwined.
Lukova’s work resides in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Library of Congress, Washington, DC; and Bibliotheque Nationale de France.
For more information please see the links below under Primary Sources.
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Note: This article was sourced from a short email conversation with Ms. Lukova and Internet information. Errors are those of the original articles, but editing and assumptions I take blame for.
Primary Sources:
The Criterion Completion 