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Underground art scene: Exhibition to celebrate 150 years of the Tube will feature incredible posters from each decade since 1908
Poster Art 150 will feature wall art seen in Underground stations from each decade since the early 1900sThe exhibition is the first of its type since 1963 and shows the changing art styles of the last 100 yearsThe 150 were chosen by a panel of experts from more than 3,000 in the London Transport Museum vault
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UPDATED:
19:46 GMT, 24 December 2012
A new exhibition will showcase the iconic poster art that has adorned the walls of the London Underground for more than a century.
Poster Art 150 – London Underground's Greatest Designs is being held at the London Transport Museum to commemorate the Tube's 150th anniversary.
Sam Mullins, Director of London Transport Museum said: ‘The posters were chosen by our panel of experts from over 3,000 in our collection and is the most comprehensive poster exhibition we have ever done.'
Away From It All by MEM Law was seen on the Tube in 1932. It is one of 150 that will be showcased as part of a new exhibition celebrating the poster art of the Underground
Tate Modern, by Paul Catherall, 2003 (left) and Four Times The Number Carried (right), by Theyre Lee-Elliott, 1936
Molesey Regatta from 1928. The artist is not known but it is an interesting example of the era's emerging art styles
Winter Sales (left), by Edward McKnight Kauffer, 1921. (Right) The Lure of the Underground by Alfred Leete, 1927. The art used is often bold and unusual
The exhibition, which takes place from February 15 to October 27, features art from the first graphic poster commission in 1908 to the modern day. Visitors will be invited to vote for their favourites and the most popular poster will be revealed at the end of the exhibition.
Well-known posters, including the surrealist photographer Man Ray’s ‘Keeps London Going’ pair, will feature alongside lesser-known gems. The exhibition will also offer a rare chance to view letter-press posters from the late nineteenth century.
The museum added that the London Underground was, and remains, a pioneering patron of poster art. Poster Art 150, will showcase 150 of the best designs which have been chosen by an independent panel to show the range and depth of the museum’s collection.
Trooping the Colour (left), by Margaret Calkin James, 1932 and Speed Underground (right), by Alan Rogers, 1930.
For The Zoo Book to Regent's Park (left), by Charles Paine, 1921. (Right) Uxbridge, by Charles Paine, 1921
Kennel Club Show, by Tom Eckersley and Eric Lombers, 1938. 150 posters, one for each year since the London Underground opened, have been chosen for the exhibition by a panel of experts
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London 2026 AD – This Is All In The Air paints an incredible vista of how the artists of yesteryear saw the capital's future. The tall building on the left looks eerily like Canary Wharf
The exhibition will feature posters by many famous artists including Edward McKnight Kauffer and Paul Nash, and designs from each decade over the last 100 years.
Poster Art 150 is a fitting exhibition to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the world’s first underground railway, as the last major Underground poster retrospective was held in 1963 to celebrate the centenary of the Underground.
It focuses on six themes:
Finding Your Way includes Underground maps and etiquette posters. It also includes posters carrying messages to reassure passengers by showing them what the Underground is likeBrightest London celebrates nights out and sporting events, showing the brightest side of LondonCapital Culture is about cultural encounters, be these at the zoo or galleries and museumsAway From It All looks at the way London Underground used posters to encourage people to escape, to the country, the suburbs and enjoy other leisure pursuitsKeeps London Going features posters about how the Underground has kept London on the move through its reliability, speed and improvements in technologyLove Your City shows the best of London’s landmarks as featured in Underground posters over the years
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The Quickest Way To The Dogs, by Alfred Leete, 1927. The iconic Underground logo is incorporated into the design of the greyhound
Eastcote by District Railway (left), by Charles Pears, was published by Underground Electric Railways . Extension Of The Piccadilly Line To Heathrow (right), by Tom Eckersley, 1971
Olympia Motor Show, by Andre Edouard Marty, 1933