Ivan Chermayeff
Art Expo, New York Coliseum
1979
24 x 36 in. (61 x 91 cm)
Offset
Condition: The poster's upper left corner is slightly damaged.
American graphic designer Ivan Chermayeff (1932-2017) co-founded Chermayeff and Geismer Associates with Tom Geismar in 1957. The firm created graphic identities for many leading international corporations. Chermayeff also designed posters for cultural institutions and events.
In this 1979 poster for New York’s Art Expo, Chermayeff plays with the idea of the poster by making the image about the poster's design. He shows a photograph of a design mock up, with writing indicating a particular artistic style for each letter and number (German Expressionist, Minimal, Surrealist etc.). The color choices for the poster are also included, taped on.
Chermayeff explained about his work, "I like to incorporate handwriting and the physical practice of putting things down . . . nails, tacks, tape, stickers and things that hold other things together on a temporary basis . . . My tendency is to reveal that relationship rather than to disguise it."
