The latest offering from Modern Art Oxford is a fabulous exploration of how the museum has marketed itself since it was founded in 1965.
This display is something of a meta-exhibition from Modern Art Oxford, showcasing over 500 posters which chart the development of the gallery’s graphic design and advertising. It is a display that is, rather surprisingly, both beautiful and fascinating. The posters are both aesthetically pleasing and intellectually interesting. The museum offers up a snapshot of the work of the hundreds of artists who have been showcased in the gallery since it opened in 1965. These include Kandinsky, Edvard Munch, Louise Bourgeois and Tracy Emin. It is at once a juxtaposition of the diverse styles of these artists and of the political and social role of the gallery in society over the past 50 years.
One thing which is particularly striking is the way in which the evolution of the different styles of graphic design reflects the personality and socio-political context of each decade. The print technology of the ’60s and ’70s means that the posters of this era offer us little clue as to the style of each artist, and even bright colours have a yellowish tint reminiscent of an Instagram filter. The typography is mostly thick, swirling retro font, which in the 80s becomes bold capitalisation. The ’80s also saw the emergence of a museum logo in an era of corporate branding, while the ’90s was the decade of the YBAs (Young British Artists — art school graduates ‘collected’ by art-world figures such as Charles Saatchi) where we see the artist becoming a brand in their own right.
From 2004, the posters take on a uniformity of style and shape which is especially jarring after the diverse styles of the posters from the ’90s. The last selection of posters are all A3 in size, and feature beautifully printed samples of the work of the artist. The Modern Art Oxford logo printed neatly at the bottom in a tasteful minimalist font. They have adopted the modern aesthetic championed by other modern ‘white cube’ galleries.
The exhibition information terms this the ‘gradual streamlining of institutional identity’ brought about both by the advent of social media, and the need to compete with other museums and galleries in the private and public sectors. We are part of the InDesign generation — where design must compete against itself in the face of government cuts and the privatisation of the art world.
As if to confirm this view of the modern age, the gallery invites me to ‘Tell us which is your favourite poster and why on Twitter or Instagram’. After compiling a shortlist (which included a beautiful 1970s Kandinsky, a poster for an exhibition showcasing the political power of dictators with the satisfying slogan ‘Mediocrity is Death’, and a recent offering pro-claiming the ‘END OF LOVE’), I settle on a Louise Bourgeois poster from the ’90s. It’s interesting to see work from Bourgeois which is not the installation sculptures she is famous for. This particular poster shows a print of a woman with a house for a body. The classic quality of the design, typography and colours means it could almost be from any era except the current one, and as such it seems to mark the end of a freedom and individuality which I worry could become lost in the wake of computer editing and social media.
This is an excellent retrospective display: an insight into both the history of Oxford from a seldom-considered angle, and into the history and development of design and branding. It is a fascinating view of the way in which advancements in art branding are influenced by socio-political context. It forces us to question whether social media has made advertising more efficient but less inventive and creative.
The exhibition Notice! Modern Art Oxford in Print is free and on until 2nd February. A panel discussion about it, hosted by Fraser Muggeridge, takes place on 23rd January at 7pm.
