The Poster Post
You Should Own Art, Edition 17
Hey! We’ve just crossed the one-year mark. Y.S.O.A had been one of those ideas that doggedly occupy some fraction of my cognitive overhead for way too long. It was part of general swirl of thoughts and questions concerning the fact that there exists so many artists producing wonderful and great art, so many people who would like to have art in their lives, and so little connection between the two.
I have to say that starting this is one of the best things I have done. It has been fantastically gratifying to watch the audience grow, receive so much positive feedback from readers, and hear from artists who’ve sold work and gained new fans after being featured here. It’s been no small amount of work, but a ton more fun.
Incidentally, my friend Tim referred me to a three-episode podcast series about the art market. The thesis that emerges is that the cagey obscurity and elitism of the tippy-top of the art market has profoundly negative downstream effects on the entire ecosystem of artists, galleries, and art collectors. I don’t really buy it. Certainly, there are practices that don’t help the situation, but I believe there are more profound root causes that stand in the way of a marketplace for artworks that could sustain more livelihoods. More on this later. Regardless, it’s an entertaining and provocative listen.
This month’s edition is about posters. Posters have come and gone and come again as a legitimate surface for art. I am as much a fan of graphic design and illustration as I am of fine art, so this isn’t much of stretch for me. But, in case you’re not of the same mindset, the argument for posters as art is as follow: they are just frickin’ beautiful. In the best examples, the levels of craft, composition, and production are equal to, or exceed any other form of art. Plus, there’s a democratic quality that just warms my heart. If you’re interested in a bit of the history behind poster art, this rundown is pretty handy. It’s most euro-centric, and I imagine there similarly interesting histories from other parts if the world.
I’ve selected works from their original production run and avoided recent reproductions. The older technologies required a bit more craft and direct involvement of the artist which (I believe) invests the object with a bit more, shall we say, spirit. So, while these sure ain’t cheap, they are special.
Finally, I need to add the standard disclaimer:
I am frequently asked if I make a commission from sales of the art that I feature here. No, I don’t. I have nothing to do with the transaction and I don’t plan to. I view Y.S.O.A. as a continuous argument that our lives are improved at some very fundamentally human level when we surround ourselves with art. I also think that making art is one of the best things you can do with your life, and I want to support those that do.
Ok, that’s out of the way. To the art!
“Layers - Samantha Edition”
Lecrue Eyebrows
1-Color Screen Print on Hand-Deckled 290gsm Candy Pink Colorplan Fine Art Paper, 18 x 24 Inches, edition of 25
USD$200
Ok, so maybe breaking the rules here already. While not technically a poster, this is based on a mural in New York City. I really appreciate the energy for the line work and density of the composition. There are other color variations, but I think this one is the most unique.
You can buy this work from 1XRun here.
Lecrue Eyebrows’s Instagram
“Herbin / Albers - Accrochage 1975”
Remo Brindisi
Silkscreen print, 22 x 33.1 inches
USD$350
This is a bit of elegant and classic graphic design for a show of highly graphic art. To be honest, I don’t know if the image is of Josef Albers’s or August Herbin’s work, but this is gorgeous.
You can buy this work from the International Poster Gallery, here.
BTW, the IPG has amazing original posters. Quite a few are pretty spendy, but a nice way to lose an hour or two browsing.
“The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz”
Ise Ananphada
50 Color Screenprint, 24 x 36 inches
Edition of 200
USD$75
Mad Duck Posters commissions artists and designers to make contemporary versions of classic films. There are some real gems of imagination and skill within their catalogue. This is one of my favorites. I didn’t know that a fifty-color screen print was even a thing.
You can by this work from Mad Duck here.
Isa’s Instagram
Isa’s website (just wow)
“Orange et Vert, 1964”
Ellsworth Kelly
Stone Lithograph, 26 × 20 in, Edition of 1000
USD$175
I can’t think of an artist whose work lends itself to the poster form than Ellsworth Kelly. This must look pretty amazing in person.
You can buy this work via Artsy here.
“Thurston Moore”
Mollie Tuggle
Silk Screen, 24 x 16 inches
USD$100
I have no idea if this was created for an actual show. I just love the density and movement of the image. I recommend that you check out more of Molly’s work, it’s super interesting.
You can buy this work from Austin Print Boutique here.
Mollie’s Instagram
“Liga (eso-n-e-Sach!), 1954”
Peter Birkhauser
Lithograph, 35 x 50 inches
USD$750
I really have no idea what’s going on here other than it is a heck of an image.
You can buy this work from International Poster Gallery here.
“Basquiat Downtown 81”
12 x 6 inches
USD$340
This is the poster for the Japanese release of Downtown 81, a semi-documentary film that caught many of the luminaries from the New York creative scene in action. Overall, it’s just a super cool artifact.
“The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflote), 1973”
Marc Chagall
Offset Lithograph, 38.5 × 25.75 inches, Edition of 10000
USD$150
Wowzers.
You can buy this work via Artsy here.
“The Letter ‘E’, 1994”
Heinz Edelmann
Silkscreen, 23 x 35 inches, hand-signed
USD$95
This is my favorite of the bunch. Not least because it reminds me of Philip Guston’s work - one of my current obsessions. It’s part of a series commissioned from prominent artists and designers in the mid-nineties to depict the whole alphabet. Here’s another that I like from the series.
You can buy this work here.
Well, that’s a wrap for this edition and for this first year of You Should Own Art. I do really appreciate your attention, feedback and support. I’m looking forward to adding some features and trying new stuff in the new year.
And, if you’d like to celebrate the new year by sharing Y.S.O.A. with your friends, please do so via your social media of choice. You can even tell complete strangers about it at all those holiday parties you’re going to. You might even make a new art friend!
See you in twenty-two!
Great update this month and thanks for sharing details on the Basquiat docu and poster art!