"Czech Travel Posters from the Lowry Collection" Opens at the NCSML

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The original exhibition, Czech Travel Posters from the Lowry Collection opens Saturday November 5, 2016. Both George and Nicholas Lowry, the father-son collectors, will attend the opening reception on Sunday, November 6, discussing the tradition and importance of travel posters within the Czech lands.

Viewers of PBS’s Antiques Roadshow will recognize Nicholas Lowry as a regularly appearing expert. George Lowry was born in Czechoslovakia, escaping on the eve of World War II and Hitler’s occupation of the country. George and Nicholas Lowry own Swann Auction Galleries in New York. Founded in 1941, Swann is the largest auctioneer of Works on Paper in the world, dealing with items ranging from books to photographs to posters. At over 1,000 works, the family owns the largest collection of Czech posters in the world outside the Czech Republic. The collection grew over the last 25 years out of the family’s Czech origins and George and Nicholas’s mutual passion for the images. Carefully curated by Nicholas Lowry, the exhibit Czech Travel Posters from the Lowry Collection showcases 43 travel posters that span several decades, many of them being exhibited for the first time.

For a small country, Czechoslovakia produced a large number of posters, owing to a combination of the country’s rich artistic legacy and strong economic climate. The travel posters are a unique form of advertising showcasing the beauty, intrigue, and architecture of the Czech lands, sometimes urging tourists (in German, English or French) to visit such wonders in Czechoslovakia as Brno or Kutna Hora. Other posters extol the sporting opportunities in Czechoslovakia, such as golf or skiing. A few are in Czech, printed to promote internal tourism and travel.

Details about the opening reception at http://www.ncsml.org/event/opening-reception-travel-posters-lowry-collection/ Please RSVP online.

Opening Reception Schedule, Sunday November 6, 2016:

1:00 - 2:00pm: Presentation by Nicholas Lowry in WFLA/ZCBJ Heritage Hall
2:00 - 3:00pm: Nicholas and George Lowry will be available in Petrik Gallery to discuss the artwork and their collection. Light refreshment provided

Regular admission is required to enter the museum’s galleries. NCSML Members receive free admission to all galleries. The portion of the event held in WFLA/ZCBJ Heritage Hall is completely free. Please note: while Nicholas Lowry is a favorite expert on Antiques Roadshow, he will not be available to appraise items during this visit to the NCSML. The public is asked to please not bring items for this purpose.

Additionally, NCSML members and volunteers are invited to a special shopping event in the Museum Store. Members and volunteers receive 25% off their purchases between 12:00pm and 5:00pm on Sunday, November 6 only, plus receive a free glass of wine at the cash bar. The public is also welcome to shop during the Museum Store event, but will not receive the exclusive member and volunteer discount. Memberships will be available for purchase on the day of the event. Details at http://www.ncsml.org/event/member-volunteer-appreciation-day-museum-store/