Lot 81 | TOM ECKERSLEY (1914-1997) AND ERIC LOMBERS (1914-1978) SHELL FOR GO. Circa 1935. Gouache study for an unrealized poster. 17x243/4 inches. Condition
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TOM ECKERSLEY (1914-1997) AND ERIC LOMBERS (1914-1978) SHELL FOR GO. Circa 1935. Gouache study for an unrealized poster.
17x24 3/4 inches.
Condition B: paper loss and water staining in image; tears in margins; time staining overall. Paper.
From 1934-1940, Eckersley and Lombers worked together for major British clients including the London Transport System and Shell. For their 1936 poster, "Scientists Prefer Shell," they adapted a neo-surrealist approach, reminiscent of works by Max Ernst. This abstract gouache represents a more fluid, lyrical Art Deco style. A yellow oil can and the black outline of a car mingle above a splash of blue. Their approach here is extraordinary, as it represents the rare occasion when advertising becomes art and vice versa.
