Lo IEDIn partnership with School of Visual Arts in New York, has set up a traveling exhibition entitled "UNDERGROUND IMAGES: SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS SUBWAY POSTERS, 1947 TO THE PRESENT" which will arrive in four of the most beautiful Italian cities where the design institute is located: Milan, Rome, Turin and Florence.
The review brings together a selection of over 40 of the famous New York school advertising campaign posters which were to be displayed across New York's vast subway system, offering a glimpse into the history of the College and the collective talent of the recognized faculty of design and illustration. The exhibition is curated by Anthony P. Rhodes – SVA Executive Vice President – who has served as creative director for poster design since 2007 and was organized by Mirko Ilić – SVA faculty member – and Francis Di Tommaso, Director of SVA Galleries.
Since the mid-50s the School of Visual Arts has been at the forefront of recognizing the need for an alternative marketing strategy to attract new students. The School landed on the New York subway sidewalks with advertising posters featuring the works of the likes of Ivan Chermayeff, Milton Glaser and George Tscherny, all professionals active in the school. Like the College itself, subway posters have become a symbol of the city of New York and a moment of courageous artistic expression.
The exhibition can be visited at the IED offices according to the following schedule:
IED Milan from 1 October to 10 October
IED Rome from 16 October to 25 October;
IED Turin from 31 October to 13 November
IED Florence from 19 October to 30 November.
The inauguration of the first exhibition – on 1 October at IED Milan – will be accompanied by a round table at 18.00 pm moderated by Carlo Branzaglia – Scientific Coordinator of the IED Milan Postgraduate School – and in which the artist Silvio Wolf and the designer Riccardo Mannelli will participate . For the occasion, some SVA exponents will be connected by videoconference: Beth Kleber – SVA Galleries archivist – who will hold an introductory lecture dedicated to the theme of underground images through a historical perspective and Francis Di Tommaso who will instead focus on the prestigious exhibition “Art As Witness: Political Graphics 2016 – 18” which will be hosted by SVA. Also during the video conference, well-known designers Steve Heller and Steve Brodner will also investigate the relationship between graphics and politics.
Current and former faculty members who designed the entire series of 63 posters include Gail Anderson, Marshall Arisman, Chris Buzelli, Gene Case, Ivan Chermayeff, Paul Davis, Pablo Declan, Sal DeVito, Louise Fili, Audrey Flack, Nathan Fox, Bob Gill, Robert Giusti, Milton Glaser, Phil Hays, Steven Heller, Mirko Ilić, Viktor Koen, Stephen Kroninger, Marvin Mattelson, James McMullan, Jerry Moriarty, Tony Palladino, Edel Rodriguez, Stefan Sagmeister, David Sandlin , Paula Scher, Yuko Shimizu, Eve Sonneman, George Tscherny, James Victore and Robert Weaver.
