Date: 1994
Size: 40.5 x 28.75 inches
Size: 40.5 x 28.75 inches
Artist: Ben Shahn
Printer: Toppan Printing Co.
About The 100 Best Posters Collection: This poster was originally created by Ben Shahn in 1960 for the National Committee for Sane Nuclear Policy. This is an official reissue from 1994 from the collection The 100 best posters from Europe and the United States / 1945-1990.
"In describing the rationale behind this portfolio, Hiromichi Fujita, the President of Toppan Printing Co., explains in the introduction that, "the decision to publish The 100 Best Posters from Europe and the United States 1945-1990 was motivated by our earlier collection of Japanese reproductions published four years ago . . . the first collection was intended as a small contribution to the field of graphic design, which has enjoyed an inseparable relationship with the printing industry for many years now." The selection of posters in this collection were chosen by a panel consisting of Steven Heller, Alain Weill, Milton Glaser and Yusaku Kamekura. All posters chosen (...) were reproduced and were then donated to art museums and related educational institutions in 200 locations around the world. In addition to being forms of expression, these posters, which were created in the diverse social conditions that have prevailed since the end of World War II, truly serve as a testament to the age in which they were produced." (Source: swanngalleries.com)
About the poster: Ben Shahn used the image of the devil mask several times before it appeared on this poster—a limited-edition work designed to raise funds for the National Committee for Sane Nuclear Policy at a time when atomic and hydrogen bomb tests were being conducted with terrifying frequency. The devil mask suggests the evil consequences of continued detonations. Printed in red, the word "Stop" acts as a barrier between the viewer and the mask, visually suggesting that the evil can be averted. This poster is among the most powerful antiwar icons of the nuclear age.(Source: The 100 best posters from Europe and the United States / 1945-1990, p.70)
This poster is in good condition and ready to be framed.