SDCC11: Alamo Drafthouse Bringing Mondo Cinema Collectables Art to Comic-Con

Two things in particular that are cool and go well together: Comic-Con and great art. With that in mind it makes complete sense that one of my favorite groups of people, the folks who run the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, TX, have put together a great collection of contemporary movie poster art and are bringing it to Cominc-Con next week.

They will be located in the main exhibition hall in booth #433 and will release new posters, have artists signings as well as offer rare archival posters. All poster releases will be announced via their Twitter account: @MondoNews

As if that wasn’t enough, Mondo is also working with The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Margaret Herrick Library to preserve the company’s growing collection of original film posters designed by contemporary graphic artists. The first group of the Alamo Drafthouse’s Mondo posters arriving at the Herrick will include the latest print, a poster for the classic horror film “Frankenstein” (1931), created by Drew Struzan.

You can take a look at past Mondo art (including the awesome They Live poster by Shepard Fairey above)  by going to their website.

For those of you going to Comic-Con next week this is sure to be a must see. I know we’ll be there.

ACADEMY LIBRARY AND ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE TO ARCHIVE art MOVIE POSTERS FROM MONDO

Beverly Hills, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Margaret Herrick Library is partnering with the Austin-based Alamo Drafthouse theater chain to archive the company’s growing collection of original film posters designed by contemporary graphic artists. The first group of the Alamo Drafthouse’s Mondo posters arriving at the Herrick will include the latest print, a poster for the classic horror film “Frankenstein” (1931), created by Drew Struzan.
The Alamo Drafthouse began producing limited-edition silkscreen posters in 2003. Mondo, the company’s art boutique, now produces more than 120 posters annually, and through it prominent artists such as Martin Ansin, Shepard Fairey, Olly Moss, Tyler Stout and Ken Taylor are commissioned to create new art for classic films, as well as alternative posters for contemporary movies such as “Inglourious Basterds,” “True Grit” and “Thor.”
“We are always seeking out the unusual, and the Mondo collection certainly fits the bill,” said the Academy’s graphic arts librarian, Anne Coco. “We are looking forward to working with the Alamo Drafthouse to ensure that its contribution to the art of movie posters will be around for future generations to appreciate.”
This ongoing gift from the Alamo Drafthouse will be housed along with the Herrick’s existing collection of more than 38,000 movie posters. The posters in the library’s collection are stored in climate-controlled vaults, and are scanned and entered into the library’s online catalog, where they can be viewed by the public.
“We’re extremely grateful to the Academy for its interest in archiving Mondo’s poster collection,” said Mondo Creative Director Justin Ishmael.  “We’re fans of movie art, first and foremost, and to have our artists’ work archived alongside some of the classics of movie poster art is an incredible honor.”
The Margaret Herrick Library poster collection includes a wide range of works created by noted graphic artists, such as the Stenberg brothers’ constructivist poster for “Man with a Movie Camera” and Wiktor Gorka’s arresting poster for the Polish release of “Cabaret.” The library also holds all of the film posters designed by Saul Bass, including his groundbreaking key art for “The Man with the Golden Arm.”