Support Independent Arts Journalism As an independent publication, we rely on readers like you to fund our journalism and keep our reporting and criticism free and accessible to all. If you value our coverage and want to support more of it, consider becoming a member today. Deceptively niche as it may seem, the literary poster occupies a special place at the intersection of American art history and literature.
Advances in color printing technology at the end of the 19th century made way for a flood of colorful and intricately detailed materials, often in the form of handbills and posters, which were suddenly more affordable as a vehicle to advertise the latest books, magazines, periodicals, and other forms of literature. Accompanying an eponymous exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Th e Art of the Literary Poster: The Leonard A. Lauder Collection illuminates the expansive genre through several examples culled from the titular collection, accompanied by essays on the form by exhibition curator Allison Rudnick, scholar Jennifer A.
Greenhill, paper conservator Rachel Mustalish, historian Shannon Vittoria, and Lauder himself — a billionaire known for his art collecting and philanthropy, also associated through the Estée Lauder family business with his brother Ronald Lauder , who maintains right-wing political views and donor practices. Sign up for our free newsletters to get the latest art news, reviews, and opinions from Hyperallergic. Daily The latest stories ever.