Art Tuesday

Olly Moss
Official Site / Twitter

Olly Moss is best known for his poster prints. He also does illustrations for a variety of magazines. Since he is based out of the UK, he often contributes to EMPIRE. Many people discovered him after seeing his work sold via Mondo, Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, TX, and by prints he did for Gallery 1988 and the LOST print series.

I think I first discovered him when his print for Locke from LOST became such a hit. I then really learned to appreciate his design after I saw his print, "The Master Race," which was part of a sports-related art show at Gallery 1988. This print depicts Jesse Owens' seminal race at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. I was blown away by the subtle, yet incredibly powerful design that Moss produced. Every time I look at it, I appreciate it more and more.

He was also commissioned by Alamo Drafthouse to design all of their posters for their most recent Rolling Roadshow. Each film was screened in a city that is significant to he movie itself. The posters that Moss designed all shared a similar color pallet and style. 

His posters almost always sell out quickly when they are made available to the general public. His most popular set of posters were the posters he did for Mondo during their Star Wars releases. I would have loved to get a hold of this set, but they sold out in less than 2 minutes. I believe that is a record for a Mondo poster release. There were endless complaints by people who missed out on them, and Olly Moss was very apologetic on his Twitter feed. Regardless of the controversy, they are amazing works of art, and those who got them should appreciate them. Sadly, many get them to "flip" them on Ebay. The set was originally $150, and within minutes were selling for $600 on Ebay. That is the major downside to becoming a popular artist with the current state of gig/movie poster art. You don't get much money yourself, but the flippers make a HUGE profit. Oh well, if I don't get a poster I want, I will live without it. But I still feel sorry for the artists...