Women of the Century: 100 Years of Beauty, 1994 [Suntory Museum, Japan Poster Exhibition]

Women of the Century: 100 Years of Beauty, 1994. Suntory Museum [Tempozan]. 9.5 x 9.75, pp. 196. Japanese and English text with one article in French. Printed by Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. Texts by Kenzo Saji, Shuji Takashina, Junko Saeki, Alain Weill, Tsuguo Takeuchi, Miki Imai. Book design by Keizo Matsui.

An exhibition catalog published to coincide with the opening of the Suntory Museum, Osaka, Japan in 1994. “Women of the Century” was a unique poster exhibition portraying women by era between 1895–1994. Published in Japan and internationally, the posters communicate the complexity of women‘s imagery in all aspects of society, culture and entertainment through depictions of customs, fashion, politics and ideas.

Opening essays include: Birth of Modern Posters, A Century for Women: Women in Posters, and The Father of Poster Jules Chéret. The book sections are arranged by era, each accompanied by essays:

• 1885–1919 Dawn of the Poster Culture; Lithography: The Leading Element of the Poster Culture
• 1920–1944: Prosperity of the Poster Culture and War Posters
• 1945–1969: Post-War Reconstruction and Introduction of Art Posters; Women‘s Changing Figure: Transformation of the Body
• 1970–1980: Mixed Media and Posters; New Media: The Age of Commercial Film, a New Comer in the Media
• 1981–1994: New Direction of Posters

The final section on sources contains three essays: Images de la Femme dans L'Histoire de L'Affiche by Alain Weill; Women as Figures of Glamour by Tsuguo Takeuchi; and To the “Women of the Century” Exhibit by Miki Imai. With Historical Reflections; Chronological Table; List of Artists; and Bibliography.

Over 200 full-color poster plates are presented alongside significant historical and cultural events from the same year. Poster designers include: Jules Chéret, Lucian Bernhard, A.M. Cassandre, Leonetto Cappiello, Saul Bass, Herbert Matter, Josef Müller-Brockmann, Victor Moscoso, Toulouse-Lautrec, Xanti Schawinsky, Stenberg Brothers, and many more. It’s difficult to tell how many (if any) women poster designers were included ... needs more research. Despite this, an excellent resource on poster design, fashion and women‘s history.

A nearly fine softcover with only a hint of wear along the edges and spine. Interior pages, fresh and bright. Uncommon.