Masked Vigilantes on Silent Motorbikes & Air-India’s Maharaja: Advertising Gone Rogue at Poster House

Poster House, the first museum in the United States dedicated to the global history of posters, is pleased offer tickets for the final weeks of two exhibitions; Masked Vigilantes on Silent Motorbikes and Air-India’s Maharaja: Advertising Gone Rogue.

Masked Vigilantes on Silent Motorbikes showcases artists who use posters as fodder and inspiration. The exhibition explores how posters have become symbols of capitalism, beauty standards, and public dialogue that are ripe for artists to manipulate and critique in their work. Featuring 20 modern and contemporary artists, including several active participants of the New York street art scene, Masked Vigilantes traces how posters have been rebelliously transformed into fine art, and provides a fresh look at the cultural impact of advertising design.

Air-India’s Maharaja: Advertising Gone Rogue, revisits the mid-century golden age of Indian travel advertising through the figure of the Maharaja, or “the Rogue,” a mischievous mascot who became an international icon. The Maharaja’s debut coincided with India’s birth as a newly independent nation following the end of British colonial rule. As the actual maharajas were ushered out of their positions, the Air-India Maharaja became internationally (in)famous as one of the world’s least-inhibited travelers, developed a reputation for daring and humor, and adopted different memorable personas in every destination.