The Leading Image: Vintage Exhibition Posters 1946-1985

THE LEADING IMAGE
Vintage Exhibition Posters 1946 - 1995
24th January - 29th February 2020
Preview: Thursday 23rd January, 6-8pm

Many of the leading artists of the 20th century enjoyed designing their own exhibition posters, often in the form of large, original lithographs produced by some of the great Parisian print ateliers such as the Mourlot Frères studio. This exhibition of specially selected Modernist posters brings together vibrant examples by the likes of David Hockney, Henri Matisse, Francis Bacon, Joán Miró and more.

Most posters of this kind were produced in the 1950s and ‘60s during a golden age of graphic design when the “ad man” was king. Artists’ posters encapsulate an aesthetic that feels as alive and relevant today as it did when they were first issued, especially given the recent resurgence in taste for vintage, Modernist aesthetics.

Artists were closely involved not just in the reproduction of their artwork, but in the graphic design and layout stages too, from choices of typography and colour to designing new images specifically for the exhibition poster itself. These exhibition posters thus offer a very different and rewarding insight into the artist’s mind – as a designer, as well as a creator – and one that won’t be as evident in their other work as it is in this special, public medium.

In this exhibition, the wild and colourful forms of Kandinsky sit alongside the subtle, flowing lines of Matisse; Jean Cocteau’s elegant figures lie alongside daydream-like scenes by Chagall; and Braque’s Cubist stylings are set in contrast to his contemporary Picasso’s more realist imagery. It is an exceptional mix of work by some of the most important artists of the last century, with pieces ranging from 1938 to 1985, all in the striking large format that highlights the best of the works’ graphic colour and form.

Unsurprisingly, vintage artists’ posters have always been popular and in recent years have become incredibly sought after. Their appealing design, relative scarcity, and their built-in history and contextual background with the exhibition they were attached to have meant these prints continue to entice long-time buyers around the world.

All works are available for sale