Click on the name or movie poster to learn more about each Italian artist’s most famous works…
Anselmo Ballester Luigi Martinati Luigi Martinati 2
Averardo Ciriello Angelo Cesselon Giorgio Olivetti
Rene Gruau Enrico De Seta Rinaldo Geleng
Picchioni Franco Rodolfo Gasparri Ezio Tarantelli
Silvano (“Nano”) Campeggi Tino Avelli Mario Piovano
Ermanno Iaia Manfredo Acerbo Mario De Berardinis Aller
From December 14-18, 2012, The Swann Auction Galleries presents Monsters and Maidens: A Film Poster Collection, featuring some of the darnedest damsels in distress designs that any movie poster lover has seen, including works by (clockwise from top left): Roger Soubie, Boris Grinsson, Alfredo Capitani, and Anselmo Ballester. (MOPO)
Heritage Auctions is putting on another one of their Movie Poster Signature Auctions Nov. 29-30 in Dallas, Texas this week — and I’m pretty high on their lots from Italian master, Luigi Martinati (of the infamous BCM Studio – aka Ballester Capitani Martinati) — who created all the elegant manifestos below.
…yeah, you know me! The wonderful Spanish movie poster trifecta dubbed Estudio MCP (not to be mixed up with The BCM Studio of Italy) — specifically, Ramon Marti, Josep Clave, and Hernan Pico — first appeared on my radar when they were featured in the coffeetable classic, Art of the Modern Movie Poster, by Dave Kehr and Sam Sarowitz, aka Mr. Posteritati.
Sticking to their specialty of film noir and action dramas, the MCP set Español cinemas on fire from the 1950s into the early 1970s with their red hot-blooded designs.
In the mood for a little Italian? Then you’ll surely feast on New York Times film critic/vintage movie poster collector Dave Kehr’s “imaginatively-titled” book, Italian Film Posters!
Kehr goes beyond the traditional Italian classics, such as La Dolce Vita and The Bicycle Thief — and features a bowlful of astonishing, lesser-known beauties as well as fills in some nice chunks of history on the notorious BCM Studio (Anselmo Ballester, Alfredo Capitani, and Luigi Martinati), a trio of artists that launched their designs on the early International movie poster industry. And even though the book’s already been out a few years, I’m sure you’ll agree that the images featured inside are timeless.
Also, while you’re at it, don’t forget about Dave Kehr’s other poster books, including The Art of the Modern Movie Poster, Exploitation Movie Posters, and The Independent Movie Poster Book.
Movie Poster Museum 