Gerhard Richter and Five Other Artists on Sonic Youth Album Covers

A

is opening this weekend at The Belcourt, and I wrote a review of it for tomorrow's issue of the Scene. What my review doesn't include is that my introduction to

, along with work by a large chunk of other contemporary artists, was what I imagine must be a phenomenon among secluded young art-lovers: Sonic Youth album covers.

Richter's 1983 painting "Kerze" was used for the cover of Daydream Nation, and it's probably the first — and maybe only — Richter painting that a lot of people ever see. But it's not a fluke: Sonic Youth's discography could double as a primer in Contemporary Art 101.

Below, I've compiled a list of other great artists whose placement on Sonic Youth LPs have introduced contemporary art to underserved kids everywhere.