London Transport Museum’s Depot in Acton, west London, is throwing open its doors between Thursday 21 April to Sunday 24 April for visitors to discover the art of the poster and explore the Museum’s world-renowned collection of transport posters dating from around 1905.
During this special four-day event, guests can step behind-the-scenes of the Museum’s fascinating art and poster stores – usually closed to the public – as expert guides reveal how poster design has characterised London and its transport for over 100 years.
The London Transport Museum Depot is a trove of transport treasure housing more than 320,000 artefacts, including more than 30,000 posters, representing up to 7,000 designs.
These posters chart the Underground’s unrivalled reputation for commissioning memorable advertisements by leading artists and designers, including Abram Games, Dora M Batty, Edward McKnight Kauffer, Dame Laura Knight, Hans Unger and Man Ray. Artistic influences featured in the collection range from cubism and constructivism to futurism and surrealism.
Visitors to the ‘Art of the Poster’ Open Days will have the chance to try their hand at creating their very own posters in creative workshops.
On Thursday 21 and Friday 22 April, adult visitors can join artist Emma Hockley to design their own poster art inspired by the Capital using different artistic techniques and mixed media. On Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 April, families with budding artists can enjoy creative art sessions and make their very own colourful transport poster to take home.
A line-up of talks with artists, curators and historians will also be on offer at selected times across the four days. These mini lectures will give curious art fans the chance to delve into the stories behind iconic posters of the past and reveal how contemporary artworks are commissioned. Timings for the full programme will be available on the Museum’s website from mid-March
As well as discovering the artistic side to the Capital’s transport history guests can explore the Museum’s extensive collection of historic Tube trains, buses, maps, signs and curiosities from 200 years of London’s transport history. Families can also follow a self-guided family-friendly trail to spot some of the most curious and colourful vehicles on display.
On Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 April, the London Transport Miniature Railway will be running for visitors to hop aboard replica models of Underground trains used on the Metropolitan line between the 1920s and 1960s.
