Underground art power
Posters that have decorated the walls of Underground stations since 1900s go on show
Friday, 15th September 2023 — By Richard Osley
SOME of them are so good that enthusiasts frame them and hang them in their home office.
They were meant to be advertising, but they are just as much art.
And now the London Transport Museum is set to put some of the best posters which have decorated the walls of Underground stations since 1900s on show in a special exhibition marking the opening of a new gallery at its site in Covent Garden.
Opening next month The Global Poster Gallery aims to explore “the power of the poster” by putting 110 artworks on display, including the tube’s first pictorial poster: ‘No need to ask a P’liceman!’ by John Hassall.
It was first seen in 1908. The free-to-visit How To Make A Poster exhibition, which will run until 2025, will then chart the graphic art which became familiar on the transport network later in the 20th century.
Frank Pick, the first chief executive of London Transport, was a leading figure in making sure art was included at transport stops, believing “design enriches life”.
He worked on drawing together of trusted artists who came up with posters which still look good in a living room in the 2020s.
While the museum has tens of thousands of posters stored in its archives, it will also be displaying items on loan from other collections.
Frank Pick
Works will include posters American graphic artists Edward McKnight Kauffer and Man Ray, the German-born designer Hans Unger, and prominent British artists such as Abram Games and Tom Eckersley. Dora M Batty, who was the most prolific female designer commissioned by the Underground, also features.
Elizabeth McKay, London Transport Museum’s director said London Transport “is at the fore” of poster design and the gallery “will shine a light on this fascinating heritage and celebrate its international influence.”
Matt Brosnan, head curator at the museum added: “The Global Poster Gallery’s opening exhibition will bring together some of the finest posters in the museum’s collection of graphic art and design in a celebration of commissioning, creativity, and artistic talent that will inspire our visitors.”
