Broadway Poster Art : 1945–1969 by Nicholas van Hoogstraten

 

November 18 at 6 pm

Rizzoli Bookstore: 1133 Broadway New York

 

A visual bonanza of 750 striking advertising posters for the musicals and plays of Broadway’s golden age.

This visual bonanza shines the spotlight on the poster art of Broadway’s golden age and shares untold behind-the-scenes stories. Nicholas van Hoogstraten will be in conversation with Ron Fassler and David Leopold, followed by a signing.

 

PLEASE NOTE: RSVPs are encouraged but not required. Seating is limited and will be first come, first served. Doors open at 5:30 pm.

 

This visual bonanza shines the spotlight on 750 striking advertising posters for the musicals and plays of Broadway’s golden age and shares untold behind-the-scenes stories

 

Fans of the theatre will be thrilled to discover the original posters for hundreds of Broadway’s biggest and most beloved hits, including My Fair Lady, The Fantasticks, Hello, Dolly!, Fiddler on the Roof, Death of a Salesman, A Raisin in the Sun, and A Streetcar Named Desire—plus rare and striking designs that tried in vain to sell some of the era’s epic flops.

 

In addition to being an important resource, this book is a fun read thanks to the inclusion of previously untold stories of the men and women behind the shows and the art. Book highlights include:

 

• A treasure trove of masterpieces by the theatreʼs best illustrators, designers, photographers, and graphic artists, including Charles Addams, Peter Arno, Saul Bass, Eileen Darby, Whitney Darrow Jr., Hap Hadley, Al Hirschfeld, and David Klein

 

• Never-before-seen artist progressions from conception to completion, as well as alternate and rejected designs

 

• Facts and legends about the productions

 

• A look at how the posters were used around the city

 

• Rare images—many one of a kind—sourced from private collections, archives, and libraries nationwide

 

• An index of artists and shows

 

• A coffee table book sized package, at 9 x 12", with over 300 pages and 700 photographs

 

The deepest dive ever into this colorful corner of American show business, this opus boasts an appeal that goes far beyond just poster fans. Broadway Poster Art: 1945–1969 is a must-have for anyone with a love of the performing arts, graphic design, entertainment history, and Broadway’s golden age.

 

Nicholas van Hoogstraten is an author, playwright, television producer, and lecturer, and he is the owner of New York City’s Triton Gallery, which showcases vintage and current Broadway posters. He lives in New York City.

 

Ron Fassler is an author, theater historian and drama critic. His book Up in the Cheap Seats: A Historical Memoir of Broadway had been described by Nathan Lane as “Well worth the price of admission.” Next up: The Show Goes On: Broadway Hirings, Firings and Replacements to be published in the fall. For more information, visit www.ronfassler.org. Mr. Fassler is also a recovering actor.

 

David Leopold is an author and curator who has organized exhibitions for institutions around the country including the Library of Congress, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, the Norman Rockwell Museum at Stockbridge, and the Field Museum in Chicago. Internationally, he has curated shows for the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Filmmuseum in Frankfurt and Berlin. For more than thirty years he has been involved with the art of Al Hirschfeld. Beginning in 1990, Leopold organized the archive of Hirschfeld’s work for the artist, visiting him in his studio at least once a week for thirteen years. Leopold is now the Creative Director for the nonprofit Al Hirschfeld Foundation. His book, The Hirschfeld Century: A Portrait of the Artist and His Age, published by Alfred A. Knopf to coincide with a major retrospective that Leopold curated for the New York Historical Society has won universal acclaim. The Washington Post called it an “instant classic,” and Amazon selected it for its “Top Books of 2015.” In 2022, Leopold edited the book collection, The American Theatre as seen by Hirschfeld 1962-2002 in conjunction with the inaugural special exhibition at the Museum of Broadway. Leopold also co-hosts the Hirschfeld Century Podcast nominated as “Best New York City podcast” by the Apple Awards. His selected other books include David Levine’s American Presidents (Fantagraphics, 2008); Irving Berlin’s Show Business: Broadway-Hollywood-America, (Harry N. Abrams, 2005 and listed as a “Top Gift Pick” by the Boston Globe and New York Times); To Stir, Inform, and Inflame: The Art of Tony Auth (2012 Camino Books) Hirschfeld’s Hollywood (Abrams, 2001). He has also authored a number of monographs on underappreciated and/or regional artists for various museums.