Exhibition
The Masters Series: Tony Palladino
"The Masters Series: Tony Palladino," October 4 – 27, 1999
"CONTENT MATTERS"
Posters, sculptures, paintings, and logos on display. October 4 to October 27, 1999 Leading conceptual artist-designer Tony Palladino is the 13th recipient of the School of Visual Arts coveted Masters Series Award. A first-generation Italian-American, Palladino was born in East Harlem. His fascination with the stark visual realities of New York City eventually motivated him to feature them in his early work. Simply using jagged fragmented type, Palladino created the cover art for the Simon & Schuster book, "Psycho," which was later used on the poster for the film of the same name. Further testament to his design prowess: one evening at dinner, slitting and bending a common drinking straw, he conceived the design of a lamp that eventually became part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art.Currently a consultant to advertising agencies and corporations, he believes in the design principle that less is more. Palladino has created well-known logos including Conrail and the celebrated Trattoria restaurant in the Met Life building. As a poster designer, his work ranges from the Cotton Bowl to Mobil Masterpiece Theater and from Lenny Bruce on Broadway to the Metropolitan Opera. Some of his best posters are those for the School of Visual Arts, where he has taught Illustration, Design and Conceptual Creativity for over 40 years. In the fine arts realm, Palladino has painted a series of nudes, landscapes in Tuscany, and has fashioned discarded hubcaps into hats. "He created Pop art before Pop was born, but his images were imbued with thought. Deep thought..." states advertising legend George Lois. "Tony is obviously an original. There’s nobody even remotely like him."Palladino’s work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, the Art Directors Club, Lichtfield Library, and the NYU Gallery. It is part of the permanent collections of the San Marino Museum of Modern Art in Italy and the Thessaloniki Design Museum in Greece, as well as in a long list of corporate and private collections.
