Viva Italia! A Decade of Italian Poster Discoveries at IPG Viva Italia! features more than fifty rare Italian poster masterpieces, dating from the 1890s to World War II. The show opens May 3, 2006 and runs through June 30th. A Reception and Preview will ta
recently discovered Seconda Coppa della Perugina, an extraordinary Futurist inspired poster for a 1925 auto race where the force of passing cars bends even street lights and trees,
In 1933, new directions in Italian avant-garde design were marked by the opening of the Studio Boggeri in Milan. Its most famous artist was Xanti Schawinsky, who brought his Bauhaus training to use in strong posters for Princeps and Illy Coffee. A sophisticated graphic language was also cultivated at Olivetti, with Marcello Nizzoli. joining in 1938. The show includes posters by Xamti, Nizzoli, Givovanni Pintori and Erberto Carboni that would help Italy take its place as a leader in the international design movement after the war. As the ‘30s progressed, Mussolini began to clamp down on artistic diversity in Italy, much the same way as Hitler and Stalin had. By 1940, the grand, playful, kinetic and diverse world of Italian Art Deco was over.
Since its opening over 10 years ago, IPG has gained a reputation for its world-class collection of original vintage posters. IPG's award-winning website, www.internationalposter.com, offers the largest, most comprehensive on-line collection of vintage advertising posters in the world, with nearly 4,000 images accessible through a powerful search engine.
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Editors Note:
* Additional background, artist bios, and gallery handouts on Italian posters are available on request.
o Interviews with gallery owner Jim Lapides and media tours of the gallery are encouraged. Parking is available for media visits to the gallery.
