FREDA BEARD (DATES UNKNOWN) BRITISH EMPIRE EXHIBITION. 1923.
30x40 inches, 76 1/4x101 1/2 cm. Waterlow & Sons, London.
Condition B: restored losses and restoration in margins; repaired tears, creases and abrasions in margins and image.
The British Empire Exhibitions of 1924 and 1925 were put on by the government of King George V to demonstrate Britain's breadth and prowess to the world, and to recover from economic demise in the wake of the Great War. The exhibition gathered member nations of the empire and displayed accomplishments in industry, engineering, sport and commerce. There was a great emphasis put on the arts as well, and the vast array of works shown in the dedicated palace was exposed to "the whole spectrum of the British public in inclusive and demotic ways, and thus consolidate[d] the social gains that the arts had made since the outbreak of war ten years earlier" (Anne Clendinning, "On the British Empire Exhibition, 1924-25"). Of the commercial artists commissioned to create posters for the event, Royal Academy exhibitor Freda Beard was one of the few women honored with the task. The resulting signature Art Deco design is a minimalistic and dreamy composition, typical also of her work for the London Underground, which may have been well appreciated as it was used again with a new date for the following year's exhibition. The idyllic scene of visitors floating down the man-made lake towards the stunning palace of India effectively communicated the beauty and splendor to be expected at the fairgrounds, and helped to inspire more than 17 million citizens to attend the inaugural exhibition in 1924. rare. We could find no other copy dating from 1924 at auction.