Mondo Teams Up With AMPAS To Archive Their Movie Posters! Plus... Drew Struzan Does James Whale's FRANKENSTEIN! Wow!

Nordling here.

Well, Mondo's done amazing work so far, and now it looks like it's gotten noticed by the Academy.  It Those posters of art - and they are art - will now be available for generations to come.  Mondo has made some classic works throughout the years, and I'm glad that the art of the movie poster is still being respected.  They've made some gorgeous work n the past, and as we movie lovers are a collecting lot, just having one Mondo hanging on your wall makes for some pretty great bragging rights.

Thanks to Brandy Fons for this announcement:

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.”

The Margaret Herrick Library, located in Beverly Hills, is the world’s preeminent cinema research facility. Holdings include more than 10 million photographs, 300,000 clipping files, 80,000 screenplays, 35,000 movie posters and 32,000 books. Devoted to the history and development of the motion picture both as an art form and as an industry, the holdings also include more than 1,000 special collections representing a wide range of giants and legends of moviemaking. The Herrick is open to the public four days a week; it is a non-circulating research facility housed in what was once a water treatment facility in Beverly Hills.

 ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards—in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners —the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

But that's not the best of it.  Looks like Drew Struzan's come out of retirement, and he's picked a doozy of a poster to draw - James Whale's 1931 masterpiece FRANKENSTEIN.  That art below?  Jawdropping.

Details for the sale of that poster will be revealed soon - for now, follow @MondoNews on Twitter or check their site at www.mondotees.com for more information.  Congratulations to their well-deserved recognition.

Finally, if you want to look at the archives online, go to www.mondoarchive.com to examine those beautiful pieces.  I'd imagine a lot of people's computer wallpapers are changing as we speak.

Nordling, out.