Art Vinyl, a London-based gallery has revealed the results of their competition to find the best vinyl sleeve of 2008. With all online votes counted, Fleet Foxes’ debut album emerged as the winner. Interestingly, both it and third placer, Coldplay’s Viva la Vida, make use of historic paintings.

Fleet Foxes used http://www.bridgemanart.com, an image library specialising in art, culture and history,  to source the topsy turvy world depicted by the 17th century Flemish artist, Brueghel.

About The Flemish Proverbs by Pieter Brueghel the Younger
In the painting all the little scenes correspond to different Dutch proverbs which are a study of human stupidity, i.e to defecate on the world (top left)  means to despise everything. 

Blog Discussion
This album cover is pretty pretentious... just putting a classic painting on your album cover doesn't make you cool...
Posted by Anonymous | April 16, 2008 4:51 PM

aren't most album covers made by artists (not the band)? what's the difference if it is some contemporary work vs. a great classic? it may be a little pretentious, but i think it is appropriate none the less, so what's the big deal? Posted by Anonymous | April 16, 2008 5:37 PM

Is it pretentious because it's really old? I guess "fine art" can be a pretty pretentious world and maybe this feels "fine arty" but we just picked it cause it's really beautiful and there's a ton of bizarre stuff going on when you really get a good look at the whole thing. (And all the little scenes correspond to a different Dutch proverbs)
Posted by Dread Viscount Robynne N. Pecknolde IV | April 17, 2008 4:18 AM (aka Robin Pecknold, band member)

Read more or check out Adrian's blog on Album Cover Design