Rare Marina City posters sold at fair

By Steven Dahlman

April 1, 2011 – Both of the posters featuring Marina City were sold at the recent vintage poster fair at the Chicago Cultural Center.

In fact, the first poster Chisholm Gallery Vintage Posters of New York sold on March 26 was the translucent poster for Pan Am (left), designed to display in a light box. It was sold to Marina City resident Brett Young, who says he paid $850.

“This thing is amazing. I bought a LED frame to present it…good for 50,000 hours,” says Young. “This will be the perfect night light.”

The other poster, sold for an undisclosed price, was for United Airlines. Painted by noted maritime artist Thomas Hoyne, it depicts Marina City from the Chicago River east of the State Street Bridge. The price for the 25 x 40-inch poster was estimated at $950.

Over three days, nearly 2,000 people attended the 2011 Chicago International Vintage Poster Fair, according to Gail Chisholm, owner of the New York gallery. “We are a very specialized show so the numbers will not be huge but…everyone is an established poster collector or budding enthusiast.”

Attendance, she says, was up 25 percent from last year. Sales were estimated at $600,000 to $750,000. Each poster ranged in price from $150 to $35,000.

“This certainly indicates both a recovering economy and a growing interest in vintage posters.”

More than 25 vintage poster dealers from around the world offered 10,000 original posters at the fair, the largest vintage poster event in the world. Exhibitors and visitors traveled far. “Just at my own booth,” recalls Chisolm, “I had clients from all over the U.S., Canada, Peru, France, and Belgium.”

An opening night preview, which was sold out, benefited Evening Associates, a members’ group of The Art Institute of Chicago.