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London Transport Posters: A Century of Art and Design
£31.50
“London Transport Posters” celebrates a century of outstanding graphic design commissioned by the Underground, London Transport, and its present-day successor, Transport for London. This book explores the organisation’s pioneering role as Britain’s greatest patron of poster art, a unique role developed in the early twentieth century under the visionary leadership of Frank Pick. The selected artworks and posters, many published here for the first time, reflect a dazzling variety of period styles and techniques, produced by an extraordinary range of artists and designers attracted by the Underground’s world-wide reputation. The resulting legacy includes works by practitioners as diverse as John Hassall, Edward McKnight Kauffer, Laura Knight, Man Ray, Paul Nash, Graham Sutherland, Abram Games, William Roberts, Howard Hodgkin and David Shrigley.Drawing on newly researched sources in the archives of London Transport Museum and Transport for London, this book discusses and illustrates the different styles and themes emerging from the posters over the last hundred years. These include the contrasting approaches of commercial graphic designers and the group of modernist avant-garde artists commissioned by the Underground in the 1920s and 1930s; the use of posters to support the expansion of the Tube by attracting new audiences and selling an aspirational vision of suburbia; the important role of women in the development of poster advertising both as designers and consumers; the different uses of the transport poster during two world wars; the changing fortunes of the poster in the post-war period; and, the public view of posters from 1908 to the present day.More than 250 images are drawn from the London Transport Museum’s collection of over 5000 posters and artworks, which represents the most complete graphic archive of its kind to be assembled by a single organisation over so long a period anywhere in the world. “London Transport Posters: A Century of Art and Design” is richly illustrated with examples of posters from all periods, and will be an invaluable reference book and visual resource for all those with an interest in twentieth-century design.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Lund Humphries (1 Sept. 2008) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 240 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0853319847 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0853319849 |
| Dimensions | 22.86 x 3.18 x 3.81 cm |
by Pierre
Quite simply a beautiful book of public transport advertising. You have to like the subject to enjoy it, but if you didn’t you probably wouldn’t be reading this.
by Carol Anne
Recipient loved his gift. Lots of good quality photos and interesting narrative.
by Jeff
I brought this book after a visit the Acton Museum to see the posters and paintings that they have stored there. I would recommend this book to everyone who has an interest in the history and development of posters on the rail network. Magic!
by Simon Biggs
A great book with wonderful colour copies of the most wonderful posters. Bought as a present, I know the person receiving this will be delighted with it. I’ve already spent ages looking at the posters. It’s a wonderful illustration of how life changed in and around the capital over the decades since the underground began. Also a wonderful social comment on life and how it changed.
by stephen gregory
Very quick delivery , book as orcbetter than described.
by COLIN MARTIN
Very pleased with this book.
by Loretta A Smith
I bought this book for my son, who lives in america and is really interested in this subject. It is beautify illustrated and my son was so pleased with it. Even though I had to post it to the states, it was still an excellent buy and well done amazon for having such a wide choice of diverse subjects.
by Robin
While much of this book’s attraction is in the many well reproduced posters, the series of essays which accompanies them gives an insight into their commissioning,design, and use which enhances one’s enjoyment of these often iconic posters.