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description
(from the dust jacket):
MGM
Posters: The Golden Years provides a decade-by-decade visual history of
MGM, featuring arresting examples of every film genre and virtually every
major star of Hollywood's Golden Age. Like the movies they
represent, these posters demonstrate a stylistic evolution in response to
changing trends and audience expectations. Here, in the exciting
medium of poster art, are MGM's legendary stars and one-hit wonders, the
classics and the time-wasters, brought together for the first time in a
beautiful volume.
There
was no Hollywood dream factory greater than Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, home of
the greatest and most glamorous stars, including Greta Garbo, Clark Gable,
Judy Garland, and Elizabeth Taylor. Created in 1924 when Metro
Pictures merged with Goldwyn Pictures and Louis B. Mayer Productions, MGM
reigned as the most prestigious studio in the decades that followed.
Although the gloss and glamor seemed effortless, MGM relied heavily upon
the skills of many unsung heroes behind the cameras, who had the task of
creating visually striking advertising that could duplicate the class and
quality of the films produced by the studio.
To
live up to the studio's well-known slogan, "More Stars Than There Are
in Heaven," some of the finest contemporary American illustrators -
such as Al Hirschfeld, Alberto Vargas, and Armando Seguso - were hired to
create what are now recognized as some of the best examples of cinematic
poster art. Once considered disposable, limited use items, these
posters are now eagerly sought after, some of them commanding spectacular
prices. In 1991 a poster from King Kong was auctioned for more than
$100,000, and a Wizard of Oz poster sold for $10,000 in 1993.
Experts predict that before the century's end, the most coveted posters
will sell for $250,000 or more, drawing the same bids as many great works
of art.
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