Bonhams have some rare and unusual art up for auction in May – a collection of vintage London Underground posters from the 1920s and 1930s.
They come from a private collection of 350 travel posters, hidden away for decades and featuring some of the most influential poster artists of the day, including Edward McKnight Kauffer, Frederick Herrick, Edward Bawden, Austin Cooper, Rex Whistler and Charles Pears. All are "seasonal" posters suggesting ways to spend your pre-war cash in the capital.
We briefly mentioned the Christies Rock and Pop Memorabilia auction a few weeks back, but the full auction listings are now online – and we’re spoilt for choice about what to highlight.
After much deliberation, we decided to focus on the Sex Pistols promotional posters. Designed by Jamie Reid, they’ve probably not peaked in value yet, so if you were to invest in either the Anarchy In The UK poster (above) or the Pretty Vacant, Never Mind The Bollocks or the Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle posters and look after them, they could look after you in years to come. Right now, estimates vary between £250 and £900.
If they’re not your thing, there’s an endless number of great items to browse at the Christies website. The sale takes place in London on 26th April – and you can bid live online.
Find out more at the Christies website
Iittala has produced some stylish designs over the years – we’ve previously covered the company’s Alvar Aalto Savoy vase on these very pages. But they’re not just a company of the past, they have some impressive new designs too – including this Taika tableware range.
I think it’s fair to say these designs are very Scandinavian, with parallels to a designs produced in the area in the 50s and 60s. But it’s actually a new design by illustrator Klaus Haapaniemi. They’re certainly big and bold, with all the pieces having the feel of nature about them – birds and flowers throughout.
Whether you choose to display or use these ceramic items is up to you. They’re certainly not cheap – so you’ll not want to risk dropping them. Prices for each piece vary, with mugs coming in at 16.40 Euros, while large plates sell for 30.90 Euros. The rest falls somewhere between those two price points.
Find out more at the Finnish Design Shop
And thanks to Jenni for the tip-off!
We love Psychomania – a very British biker movie that combines two-wheel japes with some classic 70s horror. In fact, we’re happy to tell the world with this Psychomania t-shirt.
It’s available from the British Horror website in a variety of shapes and colours, though I quite like this retro-styled top, not unlike an old football shirt. The design is the classic gang helmet, with all the gang member names around – and of course, the movie title.
You can pick it up for £11.90
Find out more at the British Horror website
Via Cinedelica
It’s good to do your bit for the environment, and even better when you can ease your guilty conscience by buying a fabulous bag. This Anya Hindmarch I’m not a plastic bag tote has been a sell out success, and provides a fashionable way to carry your shopping.
The retro styled tote in cotton and cream was available for pre-order on the Anya Hindmarch website, but due to the high demand has now sold out.
However the reason we are featuring it now, is not only because it looks cool, and we approve of it’s ethical and environemental stance, but because there is still chance to get one. The remaining 20,000 are to go on sale in Sainsbury’s stores nationwide from the 25th of April. So make sure you get yours on your shopping trip next week.
Find out more on the Anya Hindmarch website.
We like Celia Birtwell’s designs here at Retro to Go, so were pleased to see this limited edition dishwasher vinyl she has designed in partnership with Fairy (for hands that do dishes).
It seems like a great way to glam up your dishwashing, making it something beautiful as well as functional. Celia has worked with the red and green colour scheme of the Fairy bottles, but has created a cute heart shaped design, complete with love birds and flowers.
The cost is only £5 and the proceeds go to the Make A Wish Foundation, so you are doing a good turn as well as decorating your dishwasher.
Find out more on the Fairy website.
