News: British transport poster exhibition in New Haven CT (US)
received from Amy Athey McDonald

1971, Abram Games

Art for All: British Posters for Transport May 27 – August 23, 2010 Yale Center for British Art PO Box 208280, 1080 Chapel Street New Haven, CT 06520, USA For a significant period of the twentieth century, riding the London underground and British railways meant enjoying unusual—and noteworthy—works of art in the form of poster advertisements. Transport posters engaged passengers on their daily commutes and weekend outings. They pointed the way to Winter Sales, Kew Gardens, and the Tower of London. They touted the beauties of Country Joys from Victoria Station and Devon’s Moors. They promised fast, easy, and inexpensive access to countless adventures. The history of London transport posters is as captivating as their designs. As a group, the posters formed one of the most ambitious publicity campaigns in history, aimed at engendering goodwill and increasing ridership on public transportation. They also fostered a civic identity for the city of London that stands strong today. This summer, the Yale Center for British Art will premiere an exhibition of London transport posters spanning the 1920s to the 1970s. Art for All: British Posters for Transport features more than one hundred posters by major graphic artists of the period, including Edward McKnight Kauffer, Hans Schleger, Anna Zinkeisen, Tom Purvis, and Frank Newbould. The exhibition will trace changing graphic styles in the twentieth century, highlighting notable artists of the era, including the work of women artists, and the larger implications of these advertising campaigns. Full details can be found in the exhibition press release (PDF). Art for All includes significant loans from institutions in the US and UK, as well as a number of works generously donated to the Center by Henry S. Hacker (Yale College, Class of 1965).

1928, Tom Purvis