When the distinctive Oscars statuette débuted at the first Academy Awards ceremony, in 1929, the golden figure was most likely meant to represent “everyone.” Over the decades, the trophies have appeared on New Yorker covers in many capacities: worshipped as pagan gods, stranded in the ocean beside the sinking Titanic, and sharing a stage with Kim Jong-un, to name a few appearances. Recently, the world of moviemaking, which will celebrate its eighty-ninth Oscars ceremony on February 26th, has been criticized for its lack of diversity onscreen and behind the scenes. On and off social media, the critique has been represented by the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite. “I’m glad this is finally beginning to change,” Eric Drooker, the artist behind this week’s cover, said. “Movies have a powerful influence on us. They can stimulate—or limit–our imaginations.”
Here is a slide show of some of our past Oscars covers:
