L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 www.italoamericano.com L'Italo-Americano 7 Art Gallery Displays Renaissance Poster Art Over the next few years he pro- duced posters, illustrated fashion magazines and gained fame for his sensuous renderings of the female form. Of special note is his poster of Olio Radino, which is being displayed for this show. R a z z i a i s p r o b a b l y b e t t e r known by his real name, Gérard Courbouleix–Dénériaz, a French graphic artist born in 1950. He is also known as one of the last poster artists to remain among o t h e r a r t i s t s w h o w o r k w i t h computer-generated images, still doing unique posters from origi- n a l p a i n t i n g s , a s o p p o s e d t o computer graphics. His work has Meyer Fine Art will present its 7 th Annual Vintage Poster Exhibit, in conjunction with NoLi Natale at a special recep- tion on November 29 th from noon until 8:00pm. The exhibit is featuring original first and second printings of Italian and European lithographs by promi- nent poster artists and will con- tinue until December 6 th . "This is an open event to the neighborhood and neighboring businesses, the community and t o u r i s t s , " s a i d P e r r y M e y e r , owner and private dealer for this popular exhibition. According to M e y e r , w h o h a s b e e n a n a r t dealer for over 30 years, special- izing in 18 th century to contem- porary original graphics, limited edition prints and other works on paper, "People buy posters for apartments, homes for deco- rating, and for gifts to others." He and wife, Kathi, acquired their public gallery space in June 2006, which is located in t h e t h r i v i n g A r t a n d D e s i g n District of Little Italy, in the his- torical Studio Arts Building at 2400 Kettner Boulevard. The Meyers excitedly point out that "this is a show for the whole neighborhood and will be presented as an Art Walk." They explained that businesses that will participate will put out a map on the internet, as well as distribute 7 th Annual Vintage Poster Exhibit postcards. "We will be displaying all o r i g i n a l p o s t e r s , f r o m 1 9 4 0 t h r o u g h 1 9 9 7 , " e x p l a i n e d Meyer, adding that many others were destroyed in Milan due to t h e w a r a n d b o m b i n g s . " W e have lithographs by prominent poster artists such as Boccasile and Razzia, just to mention a few," said Perry. Born in Bari, Italy, in 1950, Boccasile later moved to Milan. Despite some initial difficulties, he eventually gained a post at the Mauzan-Morzenti Agency. been described as Art Deco, and is known for his work for Louis Vuitton. His poster, An Al Dente Brothers Production, will be on display at the gallery. I t a l i a n p o s t e r s d a t e a s f a r back as the 1800s, according to the Meyers. "Production media began with stone lithography, a n d w a s l a t e r r e p l a c e d w i t h p h o t o o f f s e t a n d s i l k s c r e e n p r o c e s s e s , " a c c o r d i n g t o t h e gallery owners, who have a dis- play of an original stone block in the gallery. "The posters were only intended to be used to dis- play advertising for beverages, foods, travel, cars and sports; ROBERT GALLO Perry & Kathi Meyer in front of Boccasile's Olio Radino and to be displayed for a short period of time. They were con- tinually being replaced with n e w e r i m a g e s . P o s t e r s w e r e pasted on buildings, walls and f e n c e s , a n d s t r e e t s b e c a m e dynamic art galleries." As the art work improved, m a n y a t t r a c t i v e l i t h o g r a p h s were quickly seized, but owing to the thin paper on which they were produced, many were lost t o t h e e l e m e n t s . T o d a y ' s posters, those that survived in good condition, have become eagerly sought after by knowl- e d g e a b l e c o l l e c t o r s . T h e s e p r i z e d p o s t e r s h a v e b e c o m e valuable collector's items with prices being based on rarity, condition and demand of the posters. The Meyers state that posters from 1895 to 1940, long undervalued and neglected, are experiencing a renaissance for c o l l e c t i n g t h e s e g r a p h i c a r t forms. "In addition to offering these o r i g i n a l a n d l i m i t e d e d i t i o n prints, we provide a full art con- sulting service to people coming into the show," said the Meyers. "In addition to our displays, Kathi and I have a modest col- lection," explained the gallery owner.

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