On Sunday, March 24, the Affichemuseum, or Poster museum, in Hoorn will open its doors for a special exhibition of Czech Posters From the Collection of the Lowry Family of New York City.
The posters, which date from 1898 to 1938, are a mirror of the social, economic, political and artistic influences that marked their era. The earliest images reflect the refined and elegant Art Nouveau style so popular throughout Europe at that time. Prior to the First World War, several prominent Czech poster designers reached an international audience via prominent books that published fine examples of their work. The Art Deco era is well represented, as are works by important Czech avant-garde artists.
The Lowry family has built their collection of Czech posters over the past 25 years, amassing more than 1,000 pieces—making it the largest collection in the world outside the Czech Republic. Father and son, George S. and Nicholas D. Lowry, have selected 121 highlights for the museum exhibition. These posters are among the most beautiful examples from the period, and many have never been exhibited before.
The collection grew out of the family’s Czech origins and George and Nicholas’s mutual passion for these images. As owners of Swann AuctionGalleries, they are no strangers to vintage posters, making this collection and exhibition a wonderful confluence of both personal and professional interests.
The exhibition opens on Sunday, March 24 with an official opening by His Excellency Ambassador of the Czech Republic in Netherlands, Jaroslav Horák. The exhibition will be up through mid-June 2013 at the Poster museum Netherlands, Grote Oost 2 – 4, 1621 BW Hoorn.