CLEVELAND, Ohio – Gray’s Auctioneers will present 111 posters commemorating the 1970, 50th anniversary of the League of Women Voters at auction on Oct. 24. This is a live auction will start at 1 p.m. Bid absentee or live online through LiveAuctioneers.
2020 is the 100th anniversary of the League of Women Voters and the ratification of the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which ensured the right of women to vote. This auction features 111 lots of the mid-century classic 50th anniversary of the League of Women Voters poster from 1970, designed by Richard Anuszkiewicz (1930-2020) printed in 1969 by HKL. All 111 lots are of the same poster design with the first 16 being hand-signed by the artist in pencil. The posters are in mint condition having been stored away in the vaults of a Pace Gallery.
Richard Anuszkiewicz, who passed away in May 2020, just a few days before his 90th birthday, was a contemporary American artist best known for his mesmerizing Op Art paintings. Anuszkiewicz’s works are saturated with vibrant color arranged in geometric abstract compositions, exploring the play of light, line and color, and their effects on human perception. By 1970 Anuszkiewicz was well known and his work was being celebrated after “The Responsive Eye Exhibition” at MoMA in the late 1960s brought his work to a broad public.
Writing about this design, Genevra Higginson for the Blanton Museum of Art writes that Auszkiewicz “celebrated this historic anniversary using his distinct abstract language. Here, five rows of 10 patterned squares—each representing a year in the anniversary—change from bright yellow to crimson red. This evolution allows for each square to exhibit a different visual effect in their unique color relationship.
The 50th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment was a significant commemoration. The National Organization for Women (NOW) organized the Women’s Strike Day March, which took place on Aug. 26, 1970. In over 90 major cities and towns, more than 10,000 women participated in demonstrations and rallies to call for equal employment and educational opportunities as well as accessible childcare. The following year, Congress officially made Aug. 26 Women’s Equality Day.” (Genevra Higginson, Blanton Museum of Art).
For details, contact Gray’s Auctioneers & Appraisers at 216-226-3300 or email appraisals@graysauctioneers.com.
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