At a time when correspondence and greeting cards for all occasions can be sent to your inbox – or as an animated text message – in seconds, there is no need to mail (and open) an actual physical card through the post. !) There’s still something incredibly satisfying about that.
This is especially true during the holiday season, when greeting cards thicken the mailbags of carriers across the country. From New York, early 1940s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) established the tradition of creating its own annual holiday cards – even elevating them to an art form. Since the establishment of the museum holiday card program MoMA Design Store has collaborated with world-renowned artists such as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse. alexander calder Andy Warhol and, more recently, Takashi Murakami And cindy sherman Developing whimsical and unique greeting cards. Some have even emerged from their mailing envelopes to become iconic paintings in the lexicon of modern art.
“In the committee-meeting notes of November 20, 1940, it was stated that Museum of Modern Art Was planning to produce holiday cards including artworks by Henri Rousseau The Sleeping Gypsy; clown And mother and child by Picasso; And agricultural leader zapata By Diego Rivera,” shares Chai Costello, the museum’s associate director of merchandise and product development. More than 80 years later, the MoMA Design Store’s holiday cards are still offered each year – the designs for which are obtained through an open call. Artists, illustrators and paper engineers from around the world send submissions, and the Holiday Card Selection Committee reviews them all, works with card artists on changes and revisions, and selects the final card line.
Some of the earliest and most popular cards were designed by art world giants, whose original creations from the same period reached nine figures at auction: In 1947, Alexander Calder created a playful depiction of a series of ice-skating animals. , and in 1952, Moma Introduced its own card designed by Andy Warhol that includes a Putt-like illustration and a “Happy Holidays” greeting. And in 1965, robert indiana Presented a variety of 12-inch square oil-on-canvas variations of his iconic Love image She, incidentally, was created a year earlier as a personal card sent by the artist to several friends. “(The) Love The holiday card is a MoMA favorite, Costello says. “When we consider how iconic and famous the artwork has become, it’s wonderful to remember how it began as a MoMA holiday card in 1965.”
Internationally recognized as a research center for modern and contemporary art, MoMA’s archives also include historical documents and records, including correspondence related to its holiday cards, card samples, and retail dating back to the beginning of World War II. Catalogs are included, which show the holiday cards on offer. , “In 1940, (cards) were five cents each or six for 75 cents,” says Costello. “In addition to MoMA’s formal collection, the MoMA Design Store maintains a working collection of vintage cards and retail catalogs spanning several decades, which we use for research, reference, and inspiration.”
Some cards reappear as part of the MoMA Holiday Card line several years after their initial introduction. “In 2005, I got the opportunity to work with him Takashi Murakami Called on holiday card design Christmas flowers,Costello recalls. “We recently reintroduced it, so it’s back by popular demand.” One of his personal favorites is William Kolano’s 1992 card design, Snow looks like: “It really showcases the MoMA Design Store’s early innovation with die-cutting and unique card formats, and when I saw this design, I knew we had to bring it back in a new color this year.
This year, MoMA Design Store’s holiday card line takes innovations in paper engineering to the next level. “Many cards, like us my amaryllis, Holiday Express train, and a card that transforms into a snowman ornament to hang on the tree, designed to become a 3D object when fully unfolded,” she adds, noting that the program is a tool for paper engineers. In addition to more traditional subject matter like doves, snowmen, Santa Claus and reindeer, MoMA has also introduced some new motifs, Like Santa in a rocket ship and a card with festive seals. “Our customers have responded enthusiastically to these new themes, so we look forward to introducing more unexpected ideas in the future.”
