Museum of contemporary art Chicago pictures to be read poetry to be seen 1967

This is an original 1967 exhibition poster designed by Sherman Mutchnick for the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, announcing the influential show “Pictures to be Read / Poetry to be Seen.” Held from October 24 to December 3, 1967, the exhibition explored the intersection of visual and verbal language, bringing together artists whose work blurred the boundaries between image and text—concepts that would come to define much of late 20th-century art.

Printed on a striking metallic silver stock, the poster exemplifies modernist clarity and typographic precision. Mutchnick’s bold use of Helvetica, the sharp contrast between green and red on neutral blocks of space, and the minimalist structure reflect the International Typographic Style, placing this piece in conversation with the most iconic design movements of its time. The composition is deliberately balanced and conceptually aligned with the exhibition itself—“Pictures to be read / Poetry to be seen”—transforming the poster into a visual manifesto.

More than a promotional piece, this poster is a work of design history. It embodies the radical spirit of 1960s American conceptualism and serves as an enduring document of the MCA’s early programming, which challenged traditional boundaries between mediums and modes of perception.

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Good condition, slight creases