The first ever
local public exhibition of this private collection
by American Master
of Poster Art, Landy Romain Hales,
native of Anne Arundel County.
On Display at the
Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts
November 2 to December 9, 2012
Opening Reception
Sunday afternoon, November 4, 2 to 4 p.m.
Gallery Reception
Wednesday evening, Nov.14, 6-8pm
All 5 Hales granddaughters will be there to answer questions.
In the 1960’s and
1970’s in his studio in Severna Park, Hales produced a body of works using the
unique technique of his layer poster design.
Painstakingly cut by hand of composition board, fitted and glued in
layers, then painted with Tempera paint, these brightly colored pieces
highlight local images as well as holiday themes and timely topics of general
interest.
Landy Romain Hales – A Brief Biography
With no formal
art training, Landy Romain Hales moved from a farming childhood on the Mountain
Road in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, to his own sign shop in Baltimore at the
age of 19, to being the premier display artist in New York City during the
1920’s and ‘30’s.
Mr. Hales’ shop
produced 100 4-foot tall wooden soldiers and detailed models of stage sets
along 5th Avenue for marketing Balieff’s Chauve Souris Russian
musical show; he went on to work with other theaters and commercial enterprises
in New York and elsewhere. He decorated
the major department stores including Macy’s, Gimbel’s and Saks Fifth Avenue. His patented layer posters filled all 32 of
Saks’ windows for 4 months while the interior of their new store on Fifth Avenue was being finished.
The
animated "Christmas Around the World" windows Mr. Hales researched and created for
Macy’s aroused critical and popular acclaim.
He was the first to gain an exclusive right to use Walt Disney’s
characters in commercial products, and he devised popular layer poster puzzles
and craft kits for children.
Returning with his
family to Round Bay, Severna Park, Maryland, Mr. Hales retired and began to
study on his own the works of famous artists.
He said, “I have these ideas in my head, and I want to develop them in
my medium” He produced over 60 works as individual layer posters,
including his interpretations of Picasso’s cubism, Matisse’s French fauvism style and Warhol’s pop art.
