A one-of-a-kind pharmaceutical advertising exhibition inaugurated at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Entitled "Health for Sale", the exhibition mainly consists of posters dating back to the first half of the 1900s advertising drugs (real or presumed) or mass health campaigns.
The material comes from the private collection of William H. Helfand, a chemical engineer who worked for over 30 years at the pharmaceutical company Merck in the "International Operations" division. His work has taken him around Europe and especially in Paris, allowing him to cultivate his passion for vintage advertising. Explains co-curator of the exhibition, John Ittman: “Helfand is a great collector of ephemera. In addition to posters, he owns thousands of drug bottle labels, postcards and advertising brochures.
The exhibition covers a period of almost a century and a half, from 1840 to 1985, but the gaze goes even further back if one considers that the Philadelphia Museum of Art already has a famous collection dedicated to the world of Health, called "Ars Medica ”, which includes portraits of 17th century doctors signed by Rembrandt.Source: Zielinska E. Medical posters a san art. The Scientist 01/04/2011.
| April 4, 2011 |
William H. Helfand
