(17 February — 17 March 2011)
Kemistry Gallery
No graphic designer has made a greater impact on the world of film than (17 February — 17 March 2011)
No graphic designer has made a greater impact on the world of film than Saul Bass. This exhibition brings together a collection of his film posters, film titles and film festival posters from the Lloyd Northover donation to the British Film Institute. The BFI’s Poster Archive has kindly loaned the exhibits to make this show possible.
Saul Bass’s work is instantly recognisable for its directness, its simplicity and the way it makes its meaning felt. Breaking all conventions in the 1950s and 60s, Bass virtually invented film titles as we know them today, and he was the first to synthesize movies into compelling trademark images.
In a period when graphic imagery can be so easily manipulated electronically, Bass reminds us that a strong idea is always at the heart of a great design. His work, as reflected in this exhibition, is as refreshing today as ever.
Born in New York in 1920, Saul Bass moved to Los Angeles where he set up his design studio in the 1950s. From this time until his death in 1996, Bass continued to work with Hollywood’s leading directors, including Preminger, Hitchcock and Scorsese. In 1968 Bass received an Oscar for his own film ‘How Man Creates’, which he regarded as his seminal work. Bass’s authority derives not only from his film work and posters; he is also acknowledged as one of the 20th century’s most successful corporate designers, responsible for (amongst others) the logos and identity systems for AT&T, United Airlines, Alcoa and Warner Communications.
With thanks to the British Film Institute
. This exhibition brings together a collection of his film posters, film titles and film festival posters from the Lloyd Northover donation to the British Film Institute. The BFI’s Poster Archive has kindly loaned the exhibits to make this show possible.
Saul Bass’s work is instantly recognisable for its directness, its simplicity and the way it makes its meaning felt. Breaking all conventions in the 1950s and 60s, Bass virtually invented film titles as we know them today, and he was the first to synthesize movies into compelling trademark images.
In a period when graphic imagery can be so easily manipulated electronically, Bass reminds us that a strong idea is always at the heart of a great design. His work, as reflected in this exhibition, is as refreshing today as ever.
Born in New York in 1920, Saul Bass moved to Los Angeles where he set up his design studio in the 1950s. From this time until his death in 1996, Bass continued to work with Hollywood’s leading directors, including Preminger, Hitchcock and Scorsese. In 1968 Bass received an Oscar for his own film ‘How Man Creates’, which he regarded as his seminal work. Bass’s authority derives not only from his film work and posters; he is also acknowledged as one of the 20th century’s most successful corporate designers, responsible for (amongst others) the logos and identity systems for AT&T, United Airlines, Alcoa and Warner Communications.
With thanks to the British Film Institute
