Before rap music had us all wild for Paris, artists of another sort portrayed the city and decorated its streets in highly collectible advertising posters. You know how people swooned over that Kate Moss Supreme joint? Yup, Parisian people were tearing down posters by the likes of Henri de Touluse-Lautrec, Pierre Bonnard, and others in the 1890s. These artists turned Paris' populace into a bunch of poster maniacs. Almost daily, new art was up in the streets and removed just as quickly.
The energy and excitement of these posters (many of you probably have reproductions) is celebrated during the Milwaukee Art Museum's summer exhibition, Posters Of Paris: Toulouse-Lautrec and His Contemporaries. Opening on June 1, it is a must see. Wait, you aren't traveling to Wisconsin this summer? No worries, the museum has an awesome web edition of the show. Check it here.
