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Woodstock in the Rear View Mirror…

Arnold Skolnick, Woodstock Fortieth Anniversary, original poster 2009

 

A look back at our 40th Anniversary Woodstock Party with artist Arnold Skolnick

With the 50th Anniversary of Woodstock now upon us, I revisited the photos from our 40th Anniversary Celebration at the gallery 10 years ago today.  We were joined by Arnold Skolnick, the artist of the famous poster, who graciously signed a stash of original Woodstock trolley format posters for our clients.

Arnold Skolnick, Woodstock, 1969

Arnold Skolnick signs an original trolley format Woodstock poster

We still have a few unsigned trolley format posters at $1500 and one signed large format poster at $3000. Check out the website or call us for details!

Woodstock attendees reunited after 40 years

4 clients who attended Woodstock

Four Woodstock attendees shared their stories

Amongst our 100+ attendees were 4 of our clients who had all been at Woodstock – one actually helped build the stage before the event and spent time with the Grateful Dead, who arrived several days early.  He showed us his uncashed paycheck from the Woodstock Corporation, intact all these years due to the corporation’s bankruptcy after the event.

The 40th Anniversary limited edition silkscreen

Arnold Skolnick signs the Woodstock 40th Anniversary poster 

Arnold also designed a beautiful limited edition silkscreen poster for the 40th Anniversary. The poster shows the Woodstock dove atop a subtle color field with a running line of text, like a ticker tape, that recalls the dreams (Age of Aquarius, Civil Rights) as well as the nightmares of the decade (Viet Nam, Kennedy Assassination) that the peaceful event rose above.  Understated and elegant, it is a fitting tribute to a turbulent era and an event that helped to define it. Hand signed, it is available at $250, and now ON SALE for the week at $200.

 

Arnold Skolnick with the IPG team for the 40th Anniversary party

After attending Pratt Institute, Arnold became a very successful creative at Young & Rubicam, a leading New York advertising agency in the ’60s. He regaled us with wild stories ala Mad Men about the field in the turbulent era.  The Woodstock poster was done freelance.

A fitting image of the maestro in front of a poster by another maestro, Herbert Leupin:

New Exhibition: Affordable Classics: Posters for the New Collector

Fourrures Canton (1948 edition) by Charles Loupot

International Poster Gallery  proudly presents “Affordable Classics: Posters for the New Collector”, a show and sale of 50 original vintage posters under $2500 that reveal why the field remains one of the best for newcomers. The show features fine examples from several styles, subjects and eras to indicate the incredible breadth of opportunities for any budding collector or home decorator. Highly accessible, beautifully printed and designed by world-leading artists, advertising posters have more than a 30 year track record of appreciation.

Join us on Tuesday, March 24 from 6-8pm at 205 Newbury Street for our New Collectors Night. Gallery owner Jim Lapides will present a talk on poster art and the do’s and dont’s of collecting.

View more pieces from the upcoming show here:

 Air France - Dans Tous les Ciels by Atelier Perceval  Campari Soda by Franz Marangolo   Las Vegas - Fly TWA (with Constellation) by David Klein

New Exhibition: Influential by Design: The Swiss Poster’s Impact on the Modern World

 

Most people are surprised to learn that there are more 20th century poster masterpieces from Switzerland than any other country. There are many reasons: an international tradition which absorbed and often mimicked the best of its neighbors; a vigorous national program to promote the poster and its printers; and a series of great teachers who advanced the art of the poster.

The Swiss poster had its roots in the travel poster as Switzerland became a popular travel destination at the turn of the century.  Characteristic Swiss poster styles are the Sachplakat, or Object Poster, as well as the International Typographic Style which became the predominant graphic design style in the world from the Fifties into the Seventies and continues to exert its influence today.

 

Influential by Design: The Swiss Poster’s Impact on the Modern World explores Swiss design’s leadership in creating a graphic vocabulary for the complex, global realities of modern society.  The exhibition begins with a backdrop of early Swiss posters, including ski, travel, transportation and product posters by leading Swiss poster designers Otto Baumberger, Emil Cardinaux, Herbert Leupin, and Niklaus Stoecklin.

The show then focuses on the remarkable flowering of Swiss graphic design in the Fifties – a new style heavily reliant on typography to create a universal language of design.  Simple, clear and harmonious, it would become the leading language of the increasingly global postwar marketplace, from institutions and international exhibitions to packaging and traffic design.

 

As part of Boston Design Week, International Poster Gallery is hosting an event on March 26 in collaboration with swissnex Boston, including a gallery tour with Chris Pullman, artist, designer, poster collector and former Vice President for Design and Branding for WGBH.  The program accompanies a one-day exhibition and sale of poster masterpieces drawn from the Gallery’s world-leading Swiss collection.

 

Browse all of our Swiss posters here and browse more of our Swiss poster favorites on Pinterest.

CONTACT US

International Poster Gallery
460C Harrison Ave. Suite C19
Boston MA 02118

P (617) 375-0076
info@internationalposter.com

Beautiful, Rare & Meaningful Posters from around the Globe.