75 Yrs of School of Visual Arts Posters You May Have Missed on Past Subway Trips
There is still time to catch the iconic poster art that is on display at the Chelsea-based School of Visual Arts. It features 200 subway posters from the likes of Milton Glaser, Paula Scher, Marshall Arisman, Paul Davis, and Gail Anderson. But hurry the last day of the exhibition is Oct. 14.
| 06 Oct 2023 | 10:47
At the School of Visual Arts gallery, 12 of the over 200 posters are displayed on one wall. With 93 different faculty artists works on view, this exhibition is a chronicle of how life has changed in NYC over the past 75 years through these Subway posters. Photo: Ralph Spielman
Milton Glaser who created the art for the original I Love NY posters and ad campaign, created the above poster to rally New Yorkers’ spirits in the dark days after 9/11. Photo: Ralph Spielman.
This poster, appeared two years after the inception of the SVA, then known as the Cartoonists and Illustrators School when comic book art was an important part of its curricula. Seven years later, the current name was adopted. Photo: Ralph Spielman
As a celebration of 75 years for the School of Visual Arts, the complete collection of more than 200 SVA Subway Posters that have been part of the subterranean landscape are on view at the SVA’s Chelsea Gallery until October 14. There had never been a full display of this collection of posters in any of their four galleries previously,
The exhibition showcases a mélange of stylistic mediums such as painting, photography, collage, illustration and graphic design. Here, there are posters created by 93 celebrated graphic artists, including Milton Glaser, Paula Scher, Marshall Arisman, Paul Davis, and Gail Anderson. Presented at the show is a wide range of styles and mediums that tell the story of SVA’s trove of creative Subway poster art from its inception
Manhattan’s premiere leader in the education of artists, designers and creative professionals, the School of Visual Art was originally founded in 1947 as the the Cartoonists and Illustrators School. In 1956, to encompass a broader range of creative disciplines, the current name was chosen. NYC-based professionals working in the arts as faculty, have been there since its inception..
The exhibition contains the complete collection of more than 200 SVA Subway Posters, which showcase stylistic mediums such as painting, photography, collage, illustration and graphic design. Here are works by 93 celebrated graphic artists, including Milton Glaser, Paula Scher, Marshall Arisman, Paul Davis, and Gail Anderson. The collection of artists present a broad range of styles and mediums that chronicle the story of SVA’s artistic path from its inception. Here are snapshots of the times in which the works were created. The artistic whims of the College’s brilliant faculty and New York City’s recent history resonate today.
Perhaps the most notable of the grouping is Milton Glaser’s post 9-11 poster, on view here. In the four separate galleries, videos show the most famous poster artists talking about their works and academic life at SVA. Glaser taught there for over 45 years and is one of the video participants; he had designed 27 different SVA Subway posters before his death in 2020.
Other creative leaders in the exhibition discuss in the videos their creative process in designing the posters that are placed throughout our subway system. It’s an intimate look at a mechanism that recruits the best and the brightest creatives in the City. With over 40,000 alumni since 1947, the posters are an effective recruitment medium for the people that add a colorful artistic layer to the commerce that makes NYC shine out even more than other cities.
The SVA Chelsea Gallery, at 601 West 26th Street, is open Monday through Saturday, 10:00am–6:00pm. Please make sure to bring photo ID. Masks are encouraged but not required.