May 07, 2007 - Sale 2113

Sale 2113 - Lot 74

Price Realized: $ 2,400
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 3,000 - $ 4,000
DESIGNER UNKNOWN [LIBRARY BAZAAR.] Circa 1925.
27 1/8x10 3/8 inches.
Condition A-: minor restored loss in text; horizontal fold. Framed.
One of the goals that the Soviet system was able to accomplish was to rapidly transform a largely illiterate country into a nation where most people knew how to read. Towards this goal, book fairs and other literacy-related events were heavily promoted and advertised. This poster does not resemble many other Soviet images of its era. Not another anonymous photomontage, this poster bears not only an artist's monogram but also the "mark" of originality. Stylistically it appears inspired by Western Art Deco, even down to the elaborate typography. The vibrating tone that surrounds the character as he calls people to the event is just a further touch of individual artistry.