Piccolo Teatro di Milano, 1964 Playbill [Massimo Vignelli, Rare Poster]

Piccolo Teatro di Milano [stagione 1964/65 al Teatro Lirico al Piccolo Teatro], 1964. Directors: Paolo Grassi and Giorgio Strehler with Piccolo’s original address: Palazzo del Broletto, Via Rovello 2, Milan, Italy. 8.875 x 25, smaller version, folded four times with black and red ink printed single-sided only. Printed in Italy: “Stab. Pol. G. Colombi spa Milano.” A landmark design by Massimo Vignelli (1931-2014).

Rare. This playbill announces scheduled events for the 1964/1965 season held at two locations: Piccolo Teatro and Teatro Lirico — further identified with alternating, red and black titles for each play. Vignelli’s theatre posters reveal the powerful connection between designers from Zurich and Milan and a visual language rooted in a logical ordering of information, closely set Helvetica (tight but not touching); two colors with two and three sizes and two weights held together by strong horizontal rules or “information bands,” as Vignelli called them. This visual vocabulary of clarity, simplicity, and rigor became his trademark. He said, “Styles come and go. Good design is a language, not a style.” 

A very good poster with 2-ring binder holes at the top and bottom margins, three crude horizontal folds (not factor folded or as issued) and light wear along the edges, corners and folds. There is a vertical and horizontal stain (perhaps, olive oil ... no joke) on the verso but has seeped through to the front. You may consider minor poster conservation.

The larger version of this poster is included in the collection at the Museum of Modern Art, New York (Object No. 1579.2000) and was exhibited at their celebrated 2008 “50 Years of Helvetica” exhibition. Please note: you are purchasing the smaller version. Poster will be shipped folded.