The artists

Exploitation Poster Art features work by several renowned artists. Because of the nature of the Hollywood studio system and the number of independent filmmakers working in the exploitation genre, many of the posters featured in the volume are by uncredited artists, however this does not detract from their impact. The anonymous artwork for Way Out for example (see Gallery page) , is simple yet remains hauntingly striking. However, the book does also feature work by a number of renowned artists and designers and the following are a few examples:

1920s and 1930s:

• McClelland Barclay (1891-1943) was an accomplished artist, proficient in sculpture, paint, jewellery design and illustration. He is most famous for his depictions of beautiful women and his poster for Hotel For Women (see Gallery page) illustrates this perfectly. He was tragically killed in action in 1943 and awarded the Art Directors Club Medal posthumously in 1944.

• Alvan Cordell "Hap" Hadley (1895-1976) is recognised as being one of the most adventurous and influential poster artists of his era. He is most famous for his poster art of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton but also worked on a number of other projects including Cock Of The Air (see Gallery page) by Howard Hughes.

1940s and 1950s:

• Roger Rojac (1913-1997) was a French artist who worked on a variety of French, German and American projects , creating dynamic and striking images that remain some of the most memorable from the time. The French poster for La Putain Respectueuse is a great example of his style.

• Luigi Martinati (1893-1984) had a prolific career in film poster design and ran his own design company. His personal style is characterised by a large portrait shot surrounded by a smaller scene in the foreground. This is illustrated perfectly on the poster for Big Jim McLain. (see Gallery page)

1960s and 1970s:

• Alan Aldridge (b.1937) was one of the most famous and important graphic designers of the 60s and his art and personality embodied the psychedelic and experimental spirit of the era. His poster for Andy Warhol’s avant-garde Chelsea Girls (see Gallery page) remains one of his most famous works. It won a Silver Award from The Design and Art Director's Club, however the censors remained unimpressed and the fly-posting of the poster across London led to his prosecution.

• Allen Jones (b. 1937) was a key figure in an influential movement in British art that embraced unconventional and irreverent ideas and looked to popular culture for its inspiration. He is famous for his portrayal of beautiful women and the poster for Maîtresse (see Gallery page) illustrates this aspect of his work. His style is characterised by a striking and bold use of colour combined with a unique painting technique.

• Emmanuelle was a critically acclaimed tour-de-force that avoided all the clichés and trademarks of earlier porn films. Richard Suzuki's famous photograph of Sylvia Kristel sitting topless in a chair became the respectable face of the X-rated film industry. This image was used on the Japanese poster for the film (see Gallery page).

• Robert Crumb (b.1943) is one of the most famous comic book artists of the twentieth century. He worked mainly in the 60s and 70s and his style embodied the counter-culture hippie movement of the period. Through his irreverent, drug-taking, sex-obsessed characters, Crumb provided an important social commentary on society and the Establishment. Fritz The Cat was one of his most famous strips and was turned into an X-rated animated film in 1972. The poster featured Crumb’s artwork. (see Gallery page).