Nothing evokes a bygone era or jogs a memory quite like a poster. There are some wonderful ones at the James Adam online sale of the collection of John Rogers which runs until July 27. On offer are 420 posters, many anonymous, others designed by famous and collectible artists from Andy Warhol to Rene Gruau. There is highly affordable work here from artists like Walter Hofmann, Niki de Saint Phalle, Dick Eiffers, Ludwig Hohlwein, David Klein and Piet Sluis, the late Dutch artist who came to live in Ireland in the 1950’s.
A poster advertising train travel in Spain put me in mind of Dorothy Parker travelling from France to Madrid with a linguistically gifted companion. At the border he spoke no Spanish. By the time they reached their destination she reported that he was helping the natives along with their subjunctives. Armed with a post grad in Art History and some experience gained at Christie’s the late John Rogers opened Gallery 29 in Dublin in 2004. This was a lot more than just another poster shop and the sale is a tribute to his discriminating eye for quality.
