The Museum of Modern Art in New York opened on the 23rd of May 2007 a new and interesting exhibition dedicated to the art of cinema posters at the beginning of the 20th century, mainly between 1912 - 1914. The first film posters, created in the childhoos of the cinematographic art, continued the traditions established in the previous century by theater and especially circus advertising. So the first film posters, very popular at the time, had several main characteristics. In the first place, they had oversized formats and were produced in vivid, even shocking colours, trying to emphasise the spectacle and dramatical, even sensational element. The themes were simple : domestic life and dramas, romance and patriotism, as were the subjects of the movies.
The exhibition at the MOMA in New York is presenting a rich collection of posters for American, Danish, French, Italian and British movies, from 1912 - 1914, as well as a selection of rare vintage photographs.
May 2007
