BIO
In 1970 I was a high school sophomore in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, NY. I lived in close proximity to no less than six movie theaters, always walking the neighborhood and marveling at the art on these giant posters. Occasionally we would ride the subway to Times Square (42nd St. before the decline) where some of the lesser known titles were showing. Those hand-painted montages of the 1970s black cinema are a unique and memorable part of movie history that is a reflection of what was happening in the Black community at the time. They are as historically important to the black community, and moviegoers everywhere, as they are beautiful. Due to a decline in theater attendance, the major studios embraced these movies which brought in moviegoers and increased profits. The artists who designed these posters were the major poster artists of the era, who became legendary in their own right. I have given accreditation where I could find the poster artist.
I fell in love with the art and style of these posters and became a graphic designer. After graduating with a degree in Mass Media from SUNY Plattsburgh (1980), I worked at McCann-Erickson advertising, before being brought in to Backer & Spielvogel Worldwide. Later, as a freelancer, I began to design promotional flyers for some of New York’s most famous nightclubs and popular promoters. All of this before personal computers. After purchasing my first PC in 1991, I began to create computer aided graphics for my clients, ushering in a new era for them and myself.
When I began my search for black cinema posters online I found many of them to be in disrepair, and began to digitally re-image them to restore them to the way I first saw them in theater poster marquees in the 1970s. It was a labor of love, and whenever I had time I would re-image another poster. It was then that I decided I would like to share these images with others. It was an arduous and painstaking process, and as a result you will find these posters to be retouched with exacting detail.
As I attempted to showcase the great directors, actors, writers and cinematographers of this genre, my research led me to interesting and lesser known details of the movies, soundtracks and poster artists. It has been years in the making, and now I’m ready to share my work with you. I hope you find a place on your coffee table for this work of art, and your guests have a hard time putting it back when it’s time for them to leave. And if they ask to borrow it, feel free to use the phrase from that classic1980s “Hey Love” commercial; “No my brother, you’ve got to buy your own.”