Anyone who knows me well will attest to the fact that I am something of a snob when it comes to design: I know what I like , and I (used to) like what I know. When I opened the gallery I figured I was fairly well-versed in Art Nouveau and Art Deco poster design, so that’s what we focused on. I would have been hard-pressed to admit that there were good (sellable) modern posters worth buying to sell, or worth buying altogether.
Anyone who knows me even slightly will attest to the fact that when I am wrong, I admit it. Sometimes grudgingly, sometimes much later, but generally, I admit it. So here goes:
I WAS WRONG.
THERE ARE GOOD – EVEN GREAT – MODERN POSTERS.
And we have found some of the best, from the most unlikely (and some likely) sources.
Two sources that we will focus on today are Publicite Sauvage, and Steve Thomas. Publicite Sauvage is a Montreal-based company that was started in the 1980s by Baudoin Wart. Initially, the mandate of the company was to provide an inexpensive means for cultural and social organizations to post their posters around the city of Montreal. A nice objective, but until Wart successfully managed to get Montreal’s City Hall to change the laws of the municipality, hanging posters on the sides of buildings and on fences was illegal in this city.
(At a recent event celebrating the 25th anniversary of the company – held at City Hall – Mr. Wart joked that it was a nice change of pace to be on the right side of the building instead of the left: for years he had to pay fines whenever he was caught posting posters… the entrance to the bailiff is on the left side of the building).
For Publicity Sauvage’s 25th anniversary, the company has commissioned a series of 15 posters, designed by some of Quebec’s most illustrious contemporary designers. And we are the only gallery who will be selling them. (Drumroll please…)
Source 2: Steve Thomas. Mr. Thomas is an American artist who has created a whole collection of ‘what-if-space-travel-was-as-easy-as- travelling-to-Europe’ posters. Full of wit and wonderful illustrations, they are colourful, playful and affordable (all good things in our book…
POSTER ROMANCE 
Oh I love the Neptune poster. I also love Art Nouveau usually but the one at the top – not for me!
The Neptune is fun but it was the Venus I saw first … I love the colors and the wit of his designs. Kind of makes me wish I could draw, or paint, like this… Thanks for the comment!