Eastern European Poster Art
Published 2nd Jul 2007 by Crane Kalman

Crane Kalman Brighton is pleased to present a unique collection of Eastern European vintage film posters. This diverse selection of rare and beautiful posters dating from the mid-1950?s through to the late 1980?s, includes Eastern European poster designs for classic films such as ?Taxi Driver (Taksowkraz)?, ?Blow Up (Powiekszewie)? and ?Planet of the Apes (Planeta Malp)?.

All of the posters have been carefully selected as outstanding examples of the distinctive style of artwork employed to illustrate film posters from Eastern Europe. The exhibition offers an eclectic range of imagery whose compositions and colours echo the creative movements of that period.

Eastern European Poster Art was distinct from its Western European and American counterparts. Whilst most Western film posters were created as a basic promotional tool to sell the film and showcased the film?s main attraction (usually the stars), Eastern European distributors benefited from far greater licence.

Distributors there would hire established artists ? painters, illustrators, graphic designers - to produce posters for both home-grown and international films being released in their markets. Many began to develop their own distinct house style, and the initial promotional purpose of the posters, became eventually subsumed by their artistic quality. Often surprising and surreal, the artwork reflects on contemporary influences ranging from Art Nouveau, to Minimalism and Post-Modernism.

The majority of the work presented here was created by Polish, German and Czechoslovakian artists. They include pieces by Josef Vyletal and Zdenek Zieger, two highly regarded illustrators, who are credited with the emergence of the Golden Age of Czech Poster Art in the early 1960?s. Their work is renowned for its surreal metaphorical quality as well as the wide range of techniques used.

All posters are vintage and were used for the original theatrical release of the film in cinemas. All posters are in very good condition and are linen-backed. All posters are all available for sale with prices starting from ?200.

Eastern European Poster Art will be exhibited at Crane Kalman Brighton located at 38 Kensington Gardens, Brighton BN1. The exhibition will run from 1st August ? 9th September 2007.

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