LONDON.- London Transport Museum cares for one of the world’s largest collections of twentieth century graphic art and design, with around 1,000 original poster artworks and over 30,000 posters housed at its Museum Depot in Acton, west London. Together, these reflect the Underground and London Transport’s unrivalled reputation for commissioning great works of commercial art and design.

Exhibitions hosted in the Global Poster Gallery will feature artistic works from the Museum’s collection together with loans from private, national, and international archives. Its displays will reveal the power of the poster and its influence on mass communication from the 1900s to the present day.

When Frank Pick, the first Chief Executive of London Transport, first took charge of the Underground’s publicity in 1908, he revolutionised poster design. Driven by his belief that good design enriches life, Pick injected new life into a previously conservative, text-based medium by commissioning pictorial posters.

Eye-catching designs soon enticed prospective travellers by focusing on the destination rather than the mode of travel. Imagery never seen before on the Tube let commuters know that a trip to the theatre, zoo or countryside was all within their reach. Seeing this success, other commercial organisations soon followed suit.

Pick believed that ‘there is room in posters for all styles’ and in the 1920s, he began to commission more adventurous posters. He went on to work with graphic designers influenced by radical and avant-garde art movements, such as futurism, cubism, and surrealism, conveying the modernity of the Underground. Many of the posters in this period had a strong art deco flavour.

Over three decades, Pick cultivated an extensive network of talented artists and designers. This legacy established London Transport as a leading patron of the arts and brought the capital’s transport system critical and international acclaim for its graphic art and design.

The new Global Poster Gallery at London Transport Museum in Covent Garden celebrates this important design heritage and its global influence. Set over two floors, the permanent gallery is now open.

The Global Poster Gallery has launched with its first blockbuster exhibition, How to Make a Poster, which will run until 2025. The exhibition is a visual exploration of poster commissioning and creativity in the pre-digital age from 1900.

It explores the poster-making process behind some of the twentieth century’s most influential commercial art and design. More than 110 poster artworks and posters from London Transport Museum’s collection are on display, including the Underground’s very first pictorial poster titled ‘No need to ask a p'liceman’ by John Hassall, dating from 1908.

Iconic posters by internationally recognised figures are on show, including works by the American graphic artists Edward McKnight Kauffer and Man Ray, the German-born graphic designer Hans Unger, and prominent British artists such as Abram Games, Tom Eckersley, Paul Catherall, and Dora M Batty, who was the most prolific female designer commissioned by the Underground.




Future displays in the Global Poster Gallery will include artist retrospectives and collaborative exhibitions with private, national, and international collections.

Elizabeth McKay, London Transport Museum’s Director said: ‘We’re incredibly proud to have opened a brand-new museum gallery in the heart of the capital dedicated to the fascinating history of poster art and design, of which London’s transport is at the fore. The Global Poster Gallery shines a light on this fascinating heritage and celebrates its international influence. We’ve now opened its doors and are welcoming visitors to enjoy the opening exhibition.’

Matt Brosnan, Head Curator at London Transport Museum said: ‘When Frank Pick took charge of publicising the Underground, his pioneering vision for beauty and utility turned the Tube – and later London’s transport network at large – into a place where great art and design could be admired in everyday life. The Global Poster Gallery’s opening exhibition brings together some of the finest posters in the Museum’s collection of graphic art and design in a celebration of commissioning, creativity, and artistic talent that will inspire our visitors.’

The Global Poster Gallery at London Transport Museum is sponsored by Global, one of the UK’s leading outdoor media providers. Global’s outdoor advertising network includes London’s Tube and bus network as well as the UK’s largest network of buses in major towns and cities across the UK.

Jason Cotterrell, Chief Operating Officer – Outdoor at Global, said: ‘Poster design and outdoor advertising as we know it today is rooted in London and its transport history. A long line of designers achieved both artistic and commercial success under Frank Pick and his successors. Today, Global continues this legacy with our innovative displays and creative use of technology. We’re incredibly proud to sponsor the new Global Poster Gallery at London Transport Museum as part of our continued and long-term support. It will be the place in the UK to discover the story of commercial poster art, and its opening exhibition is a fantastic opportunity for visitors to discover the people behind iconic poster designs and the artistic skill used to create them.’

London Transport Museum is grateful to the Wolfson Foundation for a major grant toward developing the gallery and to the Finnis Scott Foundation for their support.

In the Global Poster Gallery’s opening exhibition, How to Make a Poster, letters, photographs, audio, and film reveal the people behind iconic posters designs, from the commissioners and the creativity they inspired to the soaring success of the artists.

The rich variety of artistic styles and techniques used in poster production since the early 1900s is also on display, from painting and drawing to printmaking, photography, and sculpture.

Preliminary sketches, original artworks and the tools used by artists to create their work feature alongside final poster designs. Together they illustrate the evolution of production techniques across more than 100 years of design.

Historic photos explore the creative ways posters have been displayed in Tube stations, at bus stops, and on mail vans and lorries. Guests can also learn about the reception poster designs received from both the travelling public and art world. They will be challenged to assess some of the designs themselves through a touchscreen interactive.

Amongst the poster artworks to be enjoyed are a 1930s design by Scottish painter Anna Zinkeisen depicting a fantastical merry-go-round, a colourful 1950s poster produced from a classic oil painting of London’s flowers by Ivon Hitchens, and a mosaic by Hans Unger and Eberhand Schultze created in the 1970s to pay homage to the iconic red London bus.

Visitors have the chance to see the paintbrushes, palette, pencils and technical equipment used by the prolific poster artist Abram Games to create his eye-catching designs.