Nicky Zann Archive

The Nicky Zann Archive covers the late artist’s career and contains original works of art, ephemera, and published materials from the 1970s to the 2000s. The archive contains over 150 boxes of Zann’s materials and allows a further examination of his commercial art career.

Nicholas “Nicky” Zann was a prolific 20th-century artist who produced work for over six decades. His trajectory spanned from musician to illustrator to painter. From 1957-1965, Zann fronted a rock band, but in 1965 he turned to pursuing fine art full-time. While starting a professional career in illustration, he continued his fine art studies at the School of Visual Arts under the guidance of Jack Potter and Burne Hogarth.

Zann is recognized as one of the most innovative cartoonists and illustrators of his generation. His work was published in magazines such as Newsweek and daily newspapers such as The New York Times. He was also a genius caricaturist, comic artist, and illustrator of mystery book covers. Zann’s magazine and book illustrations were featured on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1975 and 1978.

In 2003, “The Answer Deck,” a card game created and illustrated by Zann, was published by Running Press and sold over 100,000 copies; the process illustrations and prototypes are retained in the archive. Zann’s cover artwork for Love Comic, created in 1970, was produced as a textile and is now held in the Victoria and Albert Museum’s permanent collection.

The Nicky Zann Archive retains the artist’s legacy for future generations. It allows patrons firsthand access to his original works of art, prints, posters, textiles, tear sheets, books, and sketchbooks, as well as his professional papers.