A Socialist “Murder of Crows” poster uses the horrors of war for its political agenda.
Thomas Negovan, the gallerist behind the quirky Los Angeles-based Century Guild specializes in Art Nouveau and the Symbolist movement. He’s an expert at tracking down weird and wonderful things and now he’s offering new “Patronage Prints” struck from rare images from his archives. The prints are produced in small editions and prices start under $50. The idea is to support the research and also make it so that affordable versions of what would otherwise be ungodly expensive can be appreciated without spending your life savings. (And if you want to do that, no problem, he can sell you the originals.)
The originals of these posters are excruciatingly rare works on paper; in some cases, the ones Century Guild have exist in quantities fewer than five and they’re primarily in museums. They’re true “underground” modern art. When they were created, they were meant to be destroyed, not kept, but their designs and sensibilities permeated the underground art culture and informed works that blossomed decades—or a century—later. Their common thread is that they were once trash, but we recognize them today as incredibly modern treasures—and the reason is because of that underground influence.
They’re printed on 11” x 14” archival paper. Order from Century Guild.
Decadent Weimar-era icon Anita Berber seductively reveals her heroin injection marks in a 1919 film titled ‘Prostitution,’ its racy subject matter disguised under the auspices of being a “social hygiene film.”
A giant poster celebrating a 1907 novel studying the life—and death—of Nostradamus.
White Slavery was a hot button in popular culture, capitalized upon in this 1927 “grand adventure” film by legendary political illustrator Mihaly Biró.
The Weimar Republic saw a lapse in censorship that resulted in numerous films based in sex and thrills—‘The Hyenas of Lust’ being a perfect example of that era’s decadence.
The Topičův salon was Prague’s foremost exhibition venue, part of the modernist movement in the late 19th century. The Muse of Art seduces a Buddha-like avatar of commerce.
Marlene Dietrich’s costume designer Ernst Dryden designed this 1926 dominatrix-themed poster for the silent film serial ‘Carriage #13.’
‘The Anarchist’s Mask’ (1897) advertises a literary tale that voices a public fear in the late 19th century: That the working man would rise up and revolt against the elite class.
In this 1919 poster for Bonbonniere & Eremitage, a Weimar-era seductress offers a taste of candy to a wealthy gentleman—with more than a wink of sexy domination.
The specter of syphilis looms behind romance in this Art Deco health poster.
A Dutch poster calling for disarmament illustrates what the future holds without the active and immediate achievement of peaceful results.
Landru, the Eater of Women, was a historical figure who used lonely hearts ads to lure women to their demise in the years following the first World War. A poster for a Dutch play morbidly celebrated his horrific activities.