Poster Auction from Estate of Celebrated "Mad Men" Era Artist David Klein

On November 12, 2008, Tepper Galleries (110 East 25th Street) will hold an auction of original art and posters by legendary "Mad Men" era graphic artist David Klein. Mr. Klein, who is best remembered for his iconic TWA "New York" poster, the original of which is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, designed hundreds of well known Travel and Broadway posters during the 1950s and 1960s.

New York, NY (PRWEB) November 5, 2008 -- On November 12, 2008, Tepper Galleries (110 East 25th Street) will hold an auction of original art and posters by legendary "Mad Men" era graphic artist David Klein.

Mr. Klein, who is best remembered for his iconic TWA "New York" poster, the original of which is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, designed hundreds of well known Travel posters during the 1950s and 1960s.

His work was so synonymous, in fact, with the golden years of air travel that, in 2001, internet giant Orbitz lured Klein out of retirement to create an advertising campaign based on his memorable earlier work for TWA, Holland-American Lines, American Airlines, and Amtrak, among others.

David Klein was also well known in the theatrical community and created numerous posters for many of the biggest Broadway productions in the 40's and 50's including "Death of a Salesman", "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", "Brigadoon", and "The Music Man". He was so highly respected in that community that he once received a private full-scale performance of "The Most Happy Fella" so that he could conceptualize the poster design for the musical.

This exceptional auction of Klein's work consists solely of property removed directly from his Brooklyn Heights studio, thus never previously offered to the public. It features the original artwork for many of these memorable posters, as well as small and large TWA posters advertising such destinations as New York, Washington DC, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Rome, Africa, Greece, India, Israel, and so many more.

Learn more at http://www.davidkleinart.com.

Media & Invited Guest Preview Reception:
Thursday, Nov. 6 at 6PM

Exhibition:    
Friday Nov. 7th    10pm-7pm
Saturday Nov. 8th   12pm-5pm
Sunday Nov. 9th           12pm-5pm
Monday Nov. 10th   10pm-7pm
Tuesday Nov.11th   10pm-7pm
Other times by appointment

Auction: November 12th 2008 at 1:00pm

About David Klein:
David Klein was born in El Paso, Texas in 1918. He moved to California where he attended the Art Center School [later renamed the Art Center College of Design] in Los Angeles. During the 1930s, he was a member of the California Watercolor Society. This group of artists often chose to paint watercolors depicting scenes of everyday life in the cities and suburbs of California. During that period, Klein displayed his work regionally, most notably at the 1940 Golden Gate International Exposition.

David served in the army during the Second World War, where he illustrated numerous army manuals. After the war, Klein moved to New York and settled in Brooklyn Heights. In 1947, he joined Clifford Strohl Associates, a theatrical advertising agency. He quickly became the illustrator of choice for many of Broadway's best-known shows of the period. David's poster/window cards from this period include: Death of a Salesman, Brigadoon, Most Happy Fella, Music Man, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. His body of work remains an enduring hallmark of this golden age of Broadway.

David Klein is best known, however, for his influential work in the field of travel advertising. During the 1950s and 1960s, David Klein designed and illustrated dozens of posters for Howard Hughes' Trans World Airlines (TWA).

David's use of bright colors depicting famous landmarks in an abstract style defined the state of poster art of the period. In 1957 a TWA poster of New York City became part of the permanent collection of the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) in New York. They defined the Jet Set style and have become iconic.

David Klein worked on several other travel poster campaigns throughout his career. These clients include Amtrak, Cunard, and Holland American Cruises. In 2000, the Internet travel company, Orbitz, contacted David and hired him to produce a series of posters that called to mind the iconic Jet Age posters done some 50 years earlier by Klein for TWA.

Although Klein worked commercially almost until the end of his life, in his 70s, he returned to his artistic roots, focusing his creative energies on watercolor paintings. His work of this later period is the result of his travels in the U.S. and in Europe and features rural, natural scenes as well as architectural studies of buildings in Europe, particularly Venice.

Examples of David Klein's early and later watercolors are in the permanent collection of the Department of Interior's Museum. With each year that passes, Klein's legacy is increasingly cemented in the world of illustration art. Klein's work gains in popularity and his Broadway and Travel posters particularly have become sought-after collectibles. Most recently, Entertainment Weekly featured one of Klein's posters (from the 1964 World's Fair) in their August 1, 2008 issue discussing the look and feel of the hit AMC Cable show Mad Men.

About Tepper Galleries:

Tepper Galleries is New York's longest running auction house with both general estate sales as well as specialty auctions held several times per month. Visit http://www.teppergalleries.com for additional information.

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