| I am currently studying at an art school in Detroit (the College for Creative Studies) and have been studying this sort of thing for the past four years. I would say to definitely see if the copyright has been orphaned (public domain) or if somebody owns a copyright for the selected work (family, museum, gallery, individual collector). I would stay away from the idea because as my instructor just told me "it might just be not cool to do, plain and simple." You don't know if it belongs to family of the artist or whoever, and the legal issues that could come out of this are not worth it! It would be cheaper to hire a local illustrator to paint/design the cover for you, and it would support the local economy!
Good luck with your album! | 
