RIT’s Bevier Gallery Debuts U.S. Posters from the 19th to 21st Century

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The exhibition is like a snapshot of the entire output of American poster designers since1890—from instantly recognizable masterpieces to never before exhibited gems. American and design history brought to life!
—Mark Resnick; collector, executive VP, Business Affairs, Twentieth Century Fox

Mark’s passion grew and grew and the collection now numbers in the hundreds—possibly the largest private collection of American posters spanning 1890 to today. This rare survey exhibition would do the Smithsonian proud.
—R. Roger Remington; RIT Vignelli Distinguished Professor of Design

Posters have figured prominently in virtually every major political, social, commercial and cultural development in America.

Bevier Gallery at Rochester Institute of Technology opens its 2006-07 season with the debut of an exhibition that mirrors American history for the past 110 years.

“The American Image: U.S. Posters from the 19th to the 21st Century” opens with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9. The show runs through Oct. 11 and features 78 posters from the private collection of Mark and Maura Resnick. The exhibition is accompanied by a companion book— the first “compact history” of the American poster—published by RIT’s Cary Graphic Arts Press. The book will be available for purchase at the exhibition.

Although Mark Resnick has extensive background in the visual arts, poster collecting is a far cry from his “real” job as a business executive at Twentieth Century Fox. “I could not have found a better home for this dual project (exhibition and book) than RIT,” says Resnick from Los Angeles. “Not only is the School of Design one of the nation’s best, it is unsurpassed in its emphasis on preservation, history, theory and criticism. Plus RIT’s College of Imaging Arts and Sciences provides a first-rate exhibition space in the Bevier Gallery.”

While the Resnick Collection posters reflect America’s history"&#".ord($0).";"lection campaigns, the nation’s war efforts, protest movements, consumer products, travel, entertainment and much more—they are also a striking rebuttal to those, inside and outside the art world who might label posters as “second class.”

“I want to stimulate greater awareness, study and esteem of these works,” explains Resnick, who has collected these posters over the past 15 years and is still going strong.

Roger Remington, RIT’s Massimo and Lella Vignelli Distinguished Professor of Design says the exhibition and book have been years in the making. “My relationship with Mark began when he cold called me with a question he had regarding a book I had written about Lester Beall—a trailblazer of American graphic design. We had periodic phone conversations and he now serves on RIT’s School of Design Advisory Board, bringing the collector’s point of view and advocating on behalf of RIT’s renowned graphic design archives.”

“Mark’s poster collection is a gem and I would have to say that even the Smithsonian would be proud to feature this survey of American posters,” Remington adds. “RIT is very lucky to be the first.”

Resnick says he invited Remington to Los Angeles to see the collection in person. “Roger’s reaction when he saw the posters in the drawers was a lot of long vowels,” he says with a laugh. “My wife Maura has given me such support with my poster obsession and this project. And yes, we do have a few posters hung in our home—as many as our fairly modest wall space permits. But we are really looking forward to seeing so many of the posters exhibited together in the exceptional Bevier Gallery.”

Mark Resnick and R. Roger Remington will be available for on-site interviews two-days prior to the opening night reception at Bevier Gallery on Sept. 9. For more information, contact Marcia Morphy at (585) 475-4951.