New exhibition - art of mid-20th century tourism promotion

New exhibition portrays art of mid-20th century tourism promotion

Selling the Dream, a retro exhibition of classic art posters that promote New Zealand as an idyllic visitor destination of outstanding natural beauty and adventure, opens at Canterbury Museum onFriday, 19 December.

Before the advent of high-quality colour photography and automated large-scale printing, beautiful, clever and carefully-crafted poster images were pivotal in developing New Zealand’s tourism industry and the country’s national identity.

The exhibition features more than 50 lithographs and silk-screen prints produced by some of New Zealand’s leading commercial artists between the 1920s and 1960s. Sourced from private collections, the posters promote the glamour of travel and New Zealand’s tourism attractions of the day. The exhibition features a series of short interviews and a 15 minute documentary Graphic Wonderland, which explore the art, skills and techniques of commercial artists during this period. Graphic Wonderland also goes behind the scenes of the industry with fascinating footage illustrating the work of commercial studios including the National Publicity Studios and Railways Studios.

Canterbury Museum Director, Anthony Wright says that the poster images are among the finest graphic art ever produced in New Zealand and are as powerful today as when they were first created.

“This is a remarkable collection that shows the relationship between art and design in commercial imaging, with a great many styles and art trends apparent in the striking images,” says Mr Wright. “An idealised New Zealand was portrayed in vivid colours, perfect composition and iconic images which appealed to the traveller’s dream of adventure in an island paradise.”

Many of the posters are featured in a 2012 book that will be on sale at the exhibition, Selling the Dream: The Art of Early New Zealand Tourism produced by Peter Alsop, Gary Stewart and Dave Bamford, published by Craig Potton Publishing. The book was a finalist in the 2012 New Zealand Post Book Awards.

Entry to the exhibition Selling the Dream: Classic New Zealand Tourism Posters is free; donations are appreciated. The exhibition runs until 19 April 2015.

For more information, see www.canterburymuseum.com

ENDS

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