New poster-focused museum in Chelsea
The new Poster Museum is the first U.S. museum dedicated to poster art.
BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELLDOMENECH
Chelsea is now home to the only
known museum dedicated to
posters in the United States.
The Poster House opened its doors
on June 20, with the mission to show
the beauty and historical signifi cance of
posters from around the world.
“Posters are an extremely egalitarian
art form — almost everyone has
or had a poster,” said Julia Knight, the
museum’s director. “And of course we’re
surrounded by them here in New York.
They tell the story of the times in which
they’re made, of the evolution of design
and persuasion in public spaces, of what
we’re interested in and care about. So
whether you’re a design afi cionado or
just passing by, we’re going to have some
fascinating stories for you.”
The museum has two fl oors and
three show spaces which will host rotating
exhibitions. At the moment, Poster
House has two exhibitions on display.
The fi rst, “Alphonse Mucha: Art Nouveau/
Nouvelle Femme,” features selections
from the Czech painter’s time in
Paris. The Mucha exhibit is broken into
three sections. First is the artist’s rise to
fame after making posters featuring the
French stage actress Sarah Bernhardt.
Next is his work in product advertising.
The third section focuses on his time
working for a printing company that demanded
so much of him that eventually
fl ed Paris for New York City to get out
of his contract.
The second exhibition, “Designing
Through the Wall: Cyan in the 1990s,”
focuses on the work of East German
designers Detlaf Fiedler and Daniela
Haufe. The two started the graphic design
agency Cyan shortly after the fall
of the Berlin Wall. The pair eventually
became some of the fi rst poster artists
to use early desktop publishing tools like
Photoshop and QuarkXPress in their
work.
PHOTO BY STEPHANIE POWELL
According to a museum spokesperson,
Poster House wants to have exhibits
that can be enjoyed by everyone
and has made a commitment to inclusivity.
Every year the museum will have
a non-Western-focused exhibition and
one female-focused exhibition. The two
shows slated for the fall — exhibiting
movie posters from Ghana and posters
from The Women’s March — fi ll both of
those requirements.
Poster House is open Mondays from
11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Wednesday
through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
For more information about exhibits and
ticket prices, visit www.posterhouse.org
PHOTO BY STEPHANIE POWELL
Some posters Alphonse Mucha designed for Sarah Bernhardt’s theatrical
performances.
PHOTO BY STEPHANIE POWELL
A photo of posters on display for “Designing Through the Wall: Cyan
in the 1990s.”
8 July 18, 2019 CNW Schneps Media
/www.posterhouse.org
/www.posterhouse.org