The Real Men and Women of Madison Avenue and Their Impact on American Culture

Telling the Story of 20th Century Advertising from the Greatest Minds That Created It --

Presented by The One Club at The New York Public Library's Science, Industry and Business Library

June 24 to Sept. 28, 2008

A Groundbreaking Exhibition Examines the Advertising and the Lives of the Real Men and Women of Madison Avenue Through 80 Years of Iconic Images and Slogans

“Does She or Doesn’t She?” “Think Different.” “I Want My MTV.” “Melts in Your Mouth, Not in Your Hands.” “Just Do It.” “Got Milk?” “Where’s the Beef?”
These slogans are part of the American zeitgeist. But little is known about many of the people who created them -- the culturally astute men and women who tapped so successfully into their generations’ desires and fears.

first-of-its-kind exhibition, presented by The One Club and The New York Public Library, shows that the people who created some of the most famous advertisements of the 20th Century were as colorful as their slogans – from former spy David Ogilvy to scrappy street fighter George Lois, to tough, hardworking women such as Mary Wells Lawrence, Phyllis Robinson and Shirley Polykoff, who held their own in the famously male world of 1950s and 1960s Mad Ave. The exhibition highlights the lives and work of dozens of brilliant copywriters and art directors who helped shape American consumption and culture over the past eighty years.

The Real Men and Women of Madison Avenue and their Impact on American Culture features more than 200 advertisements, posters, books, TV commercials, and video and audio interviews that amount to a commercial history of 20th Century America. The exhibition will be on view at The New York Public Library’s Science, Industry and Business Library, 188 Madison Avenue at 34th Street, June 24 to September 26, 2008. Admission is free.

“These men and women created important advertising campaigns that both reflected American lifestyles and influenced public taste,” said co-curator Mary Warlick, CEO of The One Club, a not-for-profit organization that promotes excellence in advertising. “They made advertising entertaining and fun, and put their stamp on American culture long before branding became the buzz word it is today.”

“This exhibition brings together for the first time some of the powerful images of the industry’s creative advertising giants,” said co-curator Ann F. Cooper. “It also offers a snapshot of their lives and colorful personalities. As a body of work, it represents a creative trajectory that is both entertaining and educational.”

The majority of the men and women represented in the exhibition have been elected into The One Club’s Creative Hall of Fame. Women are given prominence in the exhibition. Contrary to their portrayal as secretaries in the TV series Mad Men, these women rose to the top of their field, usually selling household products to other women. Bernice Fitz-Gibbon (1894-1982) created an empire with snappy, funny copy such as “It’s smart to be thrifty,” for Macy’s and “Nobody, but nobody, undersells Gimbels,” which lasted for decades. The whimsical Margaret Fishback (1900-1985) contributed “Babies are hard to bear,” to Macy’s fame. Mary Wells Lawrence created classic commercials such as Alka-Seltzer’s “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing.” And Shirley Polykoff (1908-1998), beat the odds of being poor, Jewish and female to become one of the first powerful women in the 1950s ad industry, creating unforgettable slogans like “Is it true blondes have more fun?” and “Does She or Doesn’t She?” for Clairol.

Exhibit highlights include video clips of renowned Doyle Dane Bernbach art director Helmut Krone discussing the Volkswagen campaign, and an interview with David Ogilvy, founder of Ogilvy & Mather, who talks about advertising in general, and his own life and times in particular. Also on display is an original storyboard for one of the first Federal Express commercials, "Fast Talking Man," first launched back in the 1980s. Created by Ally & Gargano team Patrick Kelly and Mike Tesch, it shows how the original concept came about for a TV commercial later rated as one of the Best of the Decade.

About The One Club

The One Club for Art & Copy is the world’s foremost non-profit organization for the recognition and promotion of excellence in advertising. Founded in 1975 and based in New York City, The One Club produces three annual awards competitions: the One Show, One Show Design and One Show Interactive, which culminate in awards ceremonies held in New York City each May. As part of The One Club’s mission to support the next generation of advertising professionals, the non-profit organization nurtures emerging talent through scholarships, portfolio reviews and an annual student exhibition and competition. The One Club maintains a full-time exhibition gallery, hosts an ongoing series of lectures and events, and produces publications that include the quarterly one.a magazine and the One Show, One Show Interactive and One Show Design annuals.

About the Curators

Mary Warlick is Chief Executive Officer of The One Club, and lectures extensively nationally and internationally on creative advertising. She is currently on the faculty of the School of Visual Arts, teaching History of Advertising.

Ann F. Cooper is a freelance journalist and creative consultant, who has written about the advertising industry for over twenty-five years on both sides of the Atlantic. She is the former creative editor of ADWEEK, the founding editor of Creativity magazine and a former associate editor of Marketing Magazine in London.

The Real Men and Women of Madison Avenue and their Impact on American Culture

June 24, 2008 through September 26, 2008

in

The New York Public Library’s Science, Industry and Business Library
Healy Hall,
188 Madison Avenue at 34th Street in Manhattan.

The exhibition is open during regular Library hours:
Monday, Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.;
Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.;
Closed Sundays.

Admission is free.

For more information, call +1 212.592.7730