This is a large print by artist and designer Massimo Vignelli portraying an American flag. Its theme of America as a melting pot is clearly seen within the stripes, which are comprised from various newspapers of many languages.

Only one stripe, the New York Times, is in English.

Artist: Massimo Vignelli

Title: "Melting Pot"

Year: 1989

Sheet size: Each 35 x 50 inches

Edition: The original edition was 300 signed and numbered prints.

Condition: Excellent

All prints are signed and numbered.

The American flag has long been a subject of Pop Art, but few have such depth and brilliance of design as this Vignelli. This print has been published in numerous design publications including GRAPHIS Magazine, Issue 271, January/February of 1991. See attached photo. Also attached is the Print Documentation showing the number of silk-screens used (13) and their sequence.

Biography: Massimo Vignelli (1931-2014) was born in Milan, Italy. He became fascinated with design when he was a teenager. His studies were in architecture, done at Politecnico di Milano and later at the Universit di Architettura, Venice. A fellowship allowed him to travel to the U.S., where he eventually founded a design firm in New York City. He has worked in interior design, consumer package design, and corporate identity. Designs he became well known for include the American Airlines logo, as well as the signs for the New York City Subway. He has won many awards, and can be found in the permanent collections of several museums, most notably the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Cooper-Hewitt -Museum.

In 1989, Milton Glaser, the Master of Graphic Design, approached Ambassador Arts/Serigrafia with four silk-screen projects called:

“Tuscan Series” 34" x 24.5"

“Two Vases, One Bouquet” 21 1/2” x 26 1/2”

“Art & Learning” 23” x 29”

“Metamorphic Flowers” 26” x 36 3/4”

The Tuscan Series (3 signed and numbered prints), Two Vases, One Bouquet, Art & Learning and Metamorphic Flowers are rare and historic prints.

Printed on archival paper, these prints are in excellent condition. They have remained in a flat file since 1990 and are now available for sale for the first time.

In 1995, Josef Müller-Brockmann agreed to allow the reproduction of three of his most iconic posters:

“beethoven” (1955)

“musica viva” (1957)

“stawinsky, fortner, berg” (1955)

A limited edition of silk-screen prints was carefully prepared by Ambassador Arts/Serigrafia in New York. Each poster measures 49 1/2” high x 35” wide.

At the completion of the edition of 180 prints of each poster, Josef had agreed to sign and number the prints. As arrangements were made for the signing, Josef passed away.

Each poster has appropriate credits to the original printer from the original printing. Each poster also has appropriate copyright information with regard to the second printing. See photos for images of both.

Caption information shown on beethoven:
entwurf: j. müller-brockmann druck: lithographie & cartonnage ag zürich
Documents of Twentieth Century Poster Art. Limited edition of 180. Artist: Josef Müller- Brockmann Reprint published by Serigrafia Inc. NYC @ 1995

Caption information shown on musica viva:
j. müller-brockmann / indicolordruck bollmann zürich
Documents of Twentieth Century Poster Art. Limited edition of 180. Artist: Josef Müller- Brockmann Reprint published by Serigrafia Inc. NYC @ 1995

Caption information shown on stawinsky fortner berg:
J. Müller-Brockmann Druck: Lithographie & Cartonnage AG
Documents of Twentieth Century Poster Art. Limited edition of 180. Artist: Josef Müller- Brockmann Reprint published by Serigrafia Inc. NYC @ 1995

The posters have been in a flat file in New York since completion in 1996. They are in near mint condition.

When George Wolfe took over the Public Theater in New York in 1994, he hired Paula Scher of Pentagram to transform the look of the theater's advertising. Scher replaced the Neo-Realist style of Paul Davis with a Post-Modern series of silk-screened posters, printed in New York by Ambassador Arts.

1994:  The Diva is Dismissed 
MoMA Permanent Poster Collection, AIGA Archive.

1994:  HIM 
MoMA Permanent Poster Collection, AIGA Archive.

1994:  Simpatico  
AIGA Archive.

1994:  Merchant of Venice

1994:  Blade to the Heat  
Library of Congress

1995:  Dog Opera

1995:  Silence, Cunning, Exile.

All posters are in mint or near mint condition.  All posters measure 30” x 46” with the exception of “Blade to the Heat” which measures 29” x 44”.

In 1990, Ivan Chermayeff approached Ambassador Arts/Serigrafia in New York to reproduce six of his original iconic collages as silkscreen multiples. The original edition consisted of:

Hasidic Smoker

Customs Inspector

One Eyed Peasant

The Smoker

Innocent Japanese Person

Geisha in Amsterdam

All signed and numbered prints are in excellent condition. Each print measures 22” x 29”. There were 20 A.P.s and 20 P.P.s. Printed on Arches Cover.

In 1994, Paula Scher approached Ambassador Arts in New York with a ambitious silk-screen project. She would approach 12 prominent international graphic designers to submit designs for the alphabet. Upon completion, each of the 12 designers would receive a complete signed set. Also, a signed set would be exhibited at the 1994 Aspen Design Conference.

Boxed, unsigned and signed sets are now available for sale. Each print is identified by date, designer and paper specification in the lower right hand corner.

The Alphabet:

A & N: Michael Beirut

B & V: Peter Saville

C & L: Seymour Chwast

D & J: Paul Davis

E & Q: Heinz Edelmann*

F & Z: Tom Geismar

G, I & P: Paula Scher

H & U: Yaron Vardimon

K & W: Pierre Mendell

M & R: Rosemarie Tissi

O & S: Shigeo Fukuda

T, X & Y: Woody Pirtle

*Art Director for the animated Beatles' "Yellow Submarine."

In 1997, Jamie Reid came to New York and produced an edition of silk-screen prints, which totaled over 5,000 pieces. Five of the prints measure 29” x 40” and were printed on archival paper. Peace is Tough measures 22” x 27”. There were just under 500 Artist’s Proofs and 500 Printer’s Proofs. The images consisted of:

God Save the Queen: 7 color variations

Union Jack: 3 color variations

F Forever: 4 color variations

Never Mind the Bollocks: 2 color variations

Pretty Vacant: 3 color variations

Peace is Tough

Upon completion of signing the edition, there was an exhibit on Lafayette Street in Manhattan at Artificial Gallery from September 20 through October 18. This edition was 99% sold out.

Recently, the printer of this edition has released some prints from the small group that Jamie gave him at the time. Also attached is the original press release for the exhibit.

Sometime in the late-eighties, Takaaki Matsumoto, award winning graphic designer in New York, approached Ambassador Arts/Serigrafia with a project idea.  Takaaki was about to have a retrospective of his graphic design work to be exhibited at various universities and galleries.  As part of this exhibition, Takaaki created six colorful designs using multiple silk-screens, measuring 26” x 26”, as limited edition art prints.  The prints, 9 of each of the same image, were framed in custom frames which measured 78 1/2” x 78 1/2”.  See attached photo.

The competed prints were published in GRAPHIS Magazine, Issue 271, January/February of 1991, see attached, and then stored in flat files.  25 years later, the unsigned prints are available for sale.  This set of 6 prints + SQUARE poster are in mint condition.  Printing was done on archival paper.  SQUARE measure 24.5" x 30.5".

“Sixties” in yellow, green & orange.

“Yellow” in yellow.

“Untitled” in pink.

“Fiat” in dark blue.

“World” in dark grey, red & orange.

“Cloud” in light grey & magenta.

The Mother Goose Collection: Maurice Sendak, Chris Van Allsburg and others.

In 1990, Serigrafia Limited created a unique Mother Goose Collection, a set of six silk-screened prints.

This collection honored Serigrafia’s commitment to preserving a precious heritage… the art of illustration. This suite of renderings illustrating Mother Goose and five nursery rhymes was a collaboration of six of today’s most accomplished illustrators. One hundred of these collections were donated to The Children’s Health Fund, NY, aiding the preservation of our most precious heritage of all: children.

Mother Goose by Maurice Sendak: silk-screened using 25 screens.

Around the Green Gravel by Chris Van Allsburg: silk-screened using 11 screens.

The Kilkenny Cats by Seymour Chwast: silk-screened using 10 screens.

Cat and the Fiddle by Daniel Pelavin: silk-screened using 14 screens.

Three Skaters on the Ice by Guy Billout: silk-screened using 24 screens.

Queen of Tarts by Barry Moser: silk-screened using 5 screens.

These six signed and numbered prints have been in a flat file at Serigrafia since 1990. These special prints are now for sale for the first time.

All prints measure 20 ½” x 26” and are in mint condition.

In 1989, Seymour Chwast approached Ambassador Arts/Serigrafia with a silk-screen project called “The O Series”. The project consisted of 4 portraits:

1. Louis Armstrong: Satchmo

2. Julius Henry Marx: Groucho

3. Pablo Picasso: Pablo

4. Gretta Garbo: Garbo

A limited edition set of silk-screen prints was created on Rives BFK paper. Each of the 4 prints measures 30” x 44”.

Since 1989, signed and numbered, as well as, unsigned prints have been stored in a flat file. All are in excellent condition.

The Satchmo print was created using 21 screens.

The Groucho print was created using 16 screens.

The Pablo print was created using 16 screens.

The Garbo print was created using 16 screens.

The 4 portraits were published in GRAPHIS Magazine, Issue 271, January/February of 1991.

In 1991, Paula Scher created “The Big A” as a promotional poster for Ambassador Arts, a silk-screen company in New York. Described on the poster, “First in a series of depression priced posters”, and printed on the thinnest newsprint, this piece was obviously not meant to last as a collectible. Twenty-three years later, the newsprint is as stable as ever with absolute minimum discoloration.

Extra posters have been kept in a flat file by Ambassador Arts since 1991 and are available for the first time at auction. The poster measures 36” wide x 53” high with some very minor creases. Despite the newsprint used, these posters are in very good condition.

The annual “Heritage Ball” is a black-tie event where architects and industry professionals come together to support the AIA New York Chapter and the Center for Architecture Foundation. The Heritage Ball began in the 1980s and has grown from a small party to an over 1,100 person gala.

The Heritage Ball serves as the single largest funding source for the AIA New York Chapter and Center for Architecture and allows them to carry out their many initiatives. It is an exciting event held to honor the rich architectural heritage of New York City and to celebrate the architects, officials, organizations, and professionals from related industries that continue the city's tradition of design excellence.

These rare posters from 1997 through 2003 were the promotional announcements for these events. All of the posters were designed by Pentagram, measure 30” x 46” and printed on heavyweight paper. These very rare silk-screens were printed by Ambassador Arts in New York. These prints have been in a flat file since 1997 as part of the printer’s archives and are in near mint condition.

1997 Heritage Ball: Twin Towers
AIA New York Chapter 1997 Heritage Ball Windows on the World One World Trade Center.

1997 Heritage Ball: Louvre
The American Institute of Architects New York Chapter 1997 Heritage Ball Honoring I.M. Pei Monday, November 13, 1997 The University Club 4 West 54th Street, NY Black Tie.

1998 Heritage Ball: Exclamation Point
American Institute of Architects New York Chapter Heritage Ball November 19, 1998 Honoring Lewis Davis, Samuel Brody and Richard Ravitch Pierre Hotel, New York City.

1999 Heritage Ball: Hand
September 22, 1999 The Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New York City American Institute of Architects New York Chapter Heritage Ball Honoring John L. Tishman & the Partners of Kohn Pederson Fox.

2002 Heritage Ball: Light Bulb
2002 Heritage Ball AIA New York Chapter and the New York Foundation for Architecture Tuesday, October 29, 2002 The Waldorf-Astoria, New York City Center for Architecture: Visions of Restoration and Revitalization – Exploring Ideas Honoring: Hugh Hardy, FAIA, Kenneth Holden, Elizabeth Barlow Rogers & Jonathan Rose Featured Speaker: Mayor Bloomberg.

2003 Heritage Ball: Vertical Boat
2003 Heritage Ball AIA New York Chapter and New York Foundation for Architecture Honoring Roland W. Betts, Deputy Mayor Daniel L. Doctoroff, ADA Louise Huxtable, and the Polshek Partnership, Thursday October 9, 2003 Chelsea Piers, Pier 50, 23rd Street at the Hudson River, New York City.

Remaining posters not mentioned above were promotional pieces for local AIA events.

Logan Square Philadelphia was designed by Vignelli Associates using drawings provided by Lieu and Silks Studios. The print celebrates the unique architecture of the Square. Both parties initialed their names at the bottom of the print. Printed on archival paper.

In 1985, there were two events sponsored by the Architectural League in New York: “Unfinished Modern” and “The Monumentally Informal.”

“Unfinished Modern” was a lecture by Arthur Drexler. “The Monumentally Informal” was a presentation of the recent work by James Sterling.

Both mailers were designed by Vignelli + Beirut. “Unfinished Modern” is a silk-screened piece that measures 20” x 20” and printed on a heavy weight black paper.

“The Monumentally Informal” is silk-screened on a textured vellum with accent colors applied by hand using Prismacolor pencils. This one measures 19” x 19”.

Both pieces are exceptionally rare and are in mint condition.

In 1986, Vignelli Associates created the first in a series of quarterly calendars for Ambassador Arts, later to become Serigrafia Limited. Promotion poster measures 24” x 30”.

Biography
Massimo Vignelli (1931-2014) was born in Milan, Italy. He became fascinated with design when he was a teenager. His studies were in architecture, done at Politecnico di Milano and later at the Universit di Architettura, Venice. A fellowship allowed him to travel to the U.S., where he eventually founded a design firm in New York City. He has worked in interior design, consumer package design, and corporate identity. Designs he became well known for include the American Airlines logo, as well as the signs for the New York City Subway. He has won many awards, and can be found in the permanent collections of several museums, most notably the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Cooper-Hewitt -Museum.