Celebrating 100 years of art deco style, the new exhibition at London Transport Museum explores how this revolutionary visual art, design and architectural style influenced London transport’s iconic publicity posters, station architecture, train design and visual identity.
Visitors can take a closer look at how, in the days before TV and radio advertising, London Transport used art deco graphic posters to make modern art accessible to the wider public, while promoting both its services and London as a destination for shopping and entertainment. The art deco style, once called ‘Moderne’ or ‘Style Moderne’, worked well with graphic design and coincided with a period when pictorial posters were one of the main forms of mass communication. They had a great visual impact with their sleek form, simple lines, geometric patterns, abstract shapes and sweeping curves.
A large number of posters commissioned by the Underground and London Transport in the 1920s and 1930s were used successfully to entice passengers to explore the city’s leisure hotspots, shop the latest fashions and embrace the thrill of modern travel. Art deco: the golden age of poster design takes the visitors on a journey that starts with the origins of art deco, moves on to posters that capture the world of leisure and pleasure followed by insights into London’s art deco architecture.
On display are a number of original historic transport posters (some that have never been on display before), photography, artworks, short films and pottery and ceramics. We love the original pair of gold bar shoes that were extremely popular in the 1920s.
Website visitors can explore the museum’s vast collection of 270,000 objects online. That includes over 17,000 posters and art-works. Most of the posters can also be ordered as prints.
This exquisite poster display is part of the museum’s Art Deco season that includes many interesting and educational events curated for visitors of all ages and inspired by London Transport’s rich history and the stylish influence of 100 years of art deco style. From talks, to depot open days and museum lates, there is something colourful for everyone to enjoy.
And from 26 November, a new audio-visual gallery featuring archived video content, posters and photographs that tell many stories of London life and its transport over the last 200 years.
Most events at London Transport museum are free with the admission ticket. Adult tickets provide unlimited daytime entry for a year, while kids enter free! Tickets from £15.