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    The Art Deco Poster

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    What people say about the book

    "For lovers of the art deco poster, this big, beautiful book is a five star showpiece. The selection of posters is wide and well chosen, including some iconic classics, but many I had not seen before. As is to be expected, there are more examples from France than from anywhere else, but the geographic range is wide -- an assortment of Italian posters was particularly intriguing. The commentary is instructive, and clearly very carefully researched. Most important of all, the reproductions are beautiful. This would be a great present for any fancier of posters, art deco, or the two in combination. Indeed, it would be a great present for anyone interested in design, modern art, or just plain great looking pictures."

     

    "This book presents one of those rare occasions when five stars just doesn't seem to be enough. I buy a lot of illustrated books and this gem sets the standard for what every art book should offer. The selection of posters exceeded my expectations and were all given ample space on their respective pages. The binding, paper, dust-jacket and, most importantly, image resolution were all of the highest quality. Even the boards were given their due - both front and back are very attractively stamped with a vibrant, metallic-blue, geometric design, befitting the theme of the books contents."

     

    "This is a lovely book, beautifully arranged, of a favorite time period of mine, the Art Deco period. This is a collection that showcases the iconic look of posters in this period, beautifully reproduced and each accompanied by explanatory text that analyzes the design of the art and explains the references of each poster. This is a book one can linger over for hours."

     

    "I love this book. It is a seemingly endless collection of beautiful posters. This is not the schlock from the art deco era. Even I can see these are great art. This is a thick book, too. I have spent hours going through it."

    About the book

    "The poster is only a means of communicating between tradesmen and public, something like a telegraph. The poster artist plays the role of the telegraphist; he does not emit messages, he transmits them." —A. M. CASSANDRE

     

    Today, many observers would contend that art deco posters are much more than a means of communication, as Cassandre asserted: they are artistically significant works in their own right—pioneering forms of expression that not only display tremendous originality in composition, typography, use of color, perspective, and technique but also serve as markers of social and aesthetic change in the period between the two world wars. And because these posters were often printed on insubstantial paper, exposed to the elements, pasted over, and destroyed after being displayed, they are some of the world's rarest and most sought-after collectibles.

     

    The works in The Art Deco Poster have been selected from the William W. Crouse collection, an extensive group of rare and hard-to-find posters acquired for their clean lines, strong geometry, and hard-edged power. Devotees of classic art deco will appreciate the streamlined, modern dynamism inherent in these works—many of which, as Alastair Duncan says in his insightful introduction, "celebrate the machine's innate power and rhythm."

     

    Within these pages are some of the most iconic and recognizable images in the genre, including Cassandre's famous Normandie and La Route Bleue, and also some of the rarest and least-often-seen works—including Lester T. Beall's series of six iconic posters for the Rural Electrification Administration and Paul Colin's La Revue Black Birds. The posters advertise a wide range of goods, services, and events, from eyeglasses, aperitifs, and musical performances to ocean liners and hotels.

    The artists represented come from five continents—Europe (where such masters as Leonetto Cappiello, Paul Colin, Herbert Matter, Edward McKnight Kauffer, and Niklaus Stoecklin practiced their art), North America, South America, Asia, and Australia, taken together, the images show off a collection of remarkable breadth, beauty, and visual impact.

     

    The detailed captions accompanying each poster, as well as several supplemental vintage photographs, place the images in their historical and cultural context. Illuminating facts about the artists, objects, and events depicted enliven the analysis of each poster's extraordinary appeal. And the book's four six-page gatefolds suggest ways of seeing these images that can't be experienced in a traditional layout. All in all, The Art Deco Poster makes a valuable addition to the library of any collector or art deco aficionado.