PIONEERS OF MODERN GRAPHIC DESIGN October 16, 1997-April 30, 1998 Overview The Wolfsonian-FIU presented the exhibition Pioneers of Modern Graphic Design, which traced the sweeping changes that overtook the graphic arts beginning in the late nineteenth century. New printing technologies became widely available, bringing color and bold new forms of advertising and commercial printing into the mainstream. Curated by Marianne Lamonaca, Pioneers of Modern Graphic Design featured more than 70 posters, books, and objects, providing an overview of graphic design from 1890 to 1945. This period was marked by the emergence of numerous aesthetic movements: British Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau, Futurism, and Constructivism, all of which fostered respect for the applied arts. The exhibition revealed how developments in typography, page layout, and illustration were both driven by and influenced these movements, undercutting "high" culture and proclaiming egalitarianism in the arts. Throughout Europe, graphic designers espoused the concepts of universality and objectivity. They argued for the power of spare imagery, geometrical composition, bold colors, and pared-down, sans-serif typefaces. Many broke the old typographical mold. In magazines and broadsides, artists scattered type upside down, sideways, and at angles across the page in an attempt to mirror the bustle and speed of the machine. (In the process, they showcased the virtuosity of typesetters, who produced innovations that would not be matched again until the Digital Age.) In the early decades of the twentieth century, Italian writer F.T. Marinetti, author of the first Futurist manifesto, celebrated typography for its power to bring new emphasis to ideas. "Form should intensify the content," he proclaimed. In fact, many graphic designers strove to discard the decorative excesses of Victorian style to bring about an integration of text and image, giving the two equal weight. Graphic art, with its ease of reproducibility and embrace of dynamic new styles, captured the vitality of popular culture. Previously considered a mere throwaway - the equivalent of visual litter in the bustling late-nineteenth century cityscape - the poster soon became a valued commodity. In the 1890s, especially in France, exhibitions and journals were devoted solely to the celebration and collection of posters. Among the most notable artists represented was Jules Cheret, a French painter and lithographer who led the way to revolutionizing the poster medium by revamping and refining lettering and illustration. Partly inspired by Japanese art, Cheret - who came to be known as "the king of posters" - opted for asymmetrical compositions, boldly outlined figures and free-flowing letterforms interwoven with the illustration. His work for the Folies-Bergères and Parisian shopkeepers brought him world renown. His 1891 poster for safety kerosene was featured in the show. By 1912, French writer Guillaume Apollinaire could rightly declare, "Catalogues, posters, advertisements of all sorts...Believe me, they contain the poetry of our epoch." Indeed, these forms made claims on the public imagination in a way that the traditional visual arts did not. They stood as emblems of progress, comfort, and affluence - key values of the rapidly industrializing societies in Europe and North America. Italian painter, sculptor, and designer Fortunato Depero, who worked with Marinetti and the other Futurists, championed an abstract, highly plastic, geometrical style. Depero advocated cross-pollination between typography and architecture, applying his free-style design approach not only to printed materials like posters, magazines, and books, but also to stage sets, furnishings, and booths for trade expositions.The show featured a design for a promotional mailing by this innovative artist. The show also included a poster by Herbert Bayer for a 1927 European arts and crafts exhibition. In 1925, Bayer became the head of the printing and advertising workshop at the Bauhaus school. Bayer's graphic designs, sometimes consisting only of upper-case type, had a stripped-down clarity and utilitarian nature that made them simultaneously avant-garde and commercially appealing. As filtered through Swiss graphic designers, this spare, confident approach soon characterized the logos, ads, and publications of corporations worldwide. The exhibition also examined a variety of symbols and techniques used by designers during the politically and economically turbulent 1930s and '40s to promote the programs of democratic as well as totalitarian governments. Pioneers of Modern Graphic Design was sponsored by Continental Airlines, Bottega Veneta, the State of Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, Florida Arts Council, Metro-Dade Cultural Affairs Council, Metropolitan Dade County Board of County Commissioners, Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority, City of Miami Beach, The Chase Manhattan Foundation, and the Arthur F. and Alice E. Adams Foundation. Back to Past Exhibitions Main