Art Deco Posters The 1930s was a decade for innovative design with companies looking to advertise their products and services with style. Art Deco posters capture the design movement that embraced buildings, fashion, modes of transport, painting, film and interior design. This style is still popular today and many architectural examples are admired. Collectors like to buy everything from wireless sets to dinner services. Before the invention of television, the poster was a key tool of marketing. Going to the cinema was a popular pastime and many movies used an Art Deco poster campaign to gain publicity. There are prints of these available today, covering genres such as film noir, gangster films, thrillers, and musicals. There is also a market in reproductions of café signs, inspired by the originals. These tend to be simple images, perhaps just a single steaming cup of coffee. Jazz musicians are another popular category. They are depicted playing in dark, smoky nightclubs. Of all the companies to make great use of the Art Deco poster, none used them more than the cruise liners. These posters show the liner as a powerful but elegant giant of the ocean. They are presented as majestic vessels, ready to take their passengers to far off, exotic locations. The most iconic image of them all, because of the tragedy that followed, is a modern print showing the White Star Line's Titanic, although it met its fate before the Art Deco poster age. Automobiles and steam trains too are the subject of this type of image. The London to Paris overnight express is one such train. Sometimes, glamorous women and handsome men in the height of fashion are behind the wheel of stylish cars, promising speed and a heady lifestyle. Racing cars too are depicted, racing round the race tracks of the day. Tourism was a growing industry in the 1930s for the wealthier classes. Tourist destinations, such as Nice, Paris, New York, India and Egypt were given the Art Deco make over. Many iconic buildings were designed in the style and best selling posters show the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Big Ben Tower in London. However, the city most associated with Art Deco buildings is New York and prints depict the Empire State Building, Flatiron building and the Chrysler Building. One of the artists to specialize in Art Deco posters available to buy today is Tamara de Lempicka, a Polish born artist who produced a series of beautiful women in different poses, sometimes dressed and sometimes naked. The choice of posters is extremely diverse and there is something to please everyone. There are even abstract geometric patterns in the style. Almost every art form is represented including a series of pictures of ballet dancers in beautiful costumes, dancing in famous productions. Reputed to be the greatest dancer of all time, Nijinsky is captured in his prime. There are also posters of Stravinsky's famous work, The Firebird. Still Lives of flowers and fruit are also painted in the style. Summary Art deco posters used to be the main method of advertising in the world. Nowadays, people use them for decoration. Popular themes used to be cruise ships, trains, and automobiles. Now you can find a tasteful picture no matter what your subject. Related Articles Picasso Painting Buddha Statues Modern Art Dogs Playing Poker Related Sites