B.

The credibility of the art of the Theatre Poster, was well established by the gifted French artist, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) and Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898). They learned from Japanese prints, how much more striking a picture could become if modelling and other detail were sacrificed to bold simplifications. Artists such as Picasso, Matisse and Braque collaborated with the Ballet Russes, impresario Sergei Diaghilev and Stravinsky, to produce dynamic posters which were as controversial and acclaimed as the productions they advertised. Since then, many artists have been commissioned to create posters which have in time become acknowledged works of art in their own right and widely collected. This exciting tradition of Theatre Poster – which today has developed into sophisticated record jacket design – is the subject of an exhibition in the Gallery 'German Theatre Posters' on view October 3 - 30. The fifty posters cover a variety of Opera, Ballet, Play and Children's Theatre production from German Theatre in recent years, and presents exciting visual interpretations of productions familiar to many. 'Don Giovanni', 'Antigone', 'Coppelia' and 'Happy Days' to name but a few.

('German Theatre Posters', Bulletin, No.5, September/October 1979, p.3)