Left and right film posters designed by Saul Bass
Poster for Vertigo (1958) by Saul Bass Images taken from the Saul Bass exhibition at London’s Kemistry Gallery, courtesy of The British Film Institute and the Saul Bass Estate
(Image credit: Saul Bass)

The undisputed king of film title design, Saul Bass had a unique ability to identify the one image that would symbolise a movie. This he honed for some of the titans of 20th century cinema, including Martin Scorsese, Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick and Otto Preminger, producing a series of extraordinarily simple but powerful title sequences and posters, which are now on show at London's Kemistry Gallery.

When he died in 1996, the graphic designer-cum-director's obituary in the New York Times hailed him as 'the minimalist auteur who put a jagged arm in motion in 1955 and created an entire film genre... and elevated it into an art form.' Created for Preminger's The Man with the Golden Arm, that disembodied appendage caused an almighty stir when it was first unveiled, but it also set his career in motion.

The film's theme was a jazz musician's battle with heroin - a taboo subject at the time - and an arm was a potent symbol of addiction. Choosing it as the emblem for both the movie's title and poster, instead of a more obvious image of lead actor Frank Sinatra's face, was a starkly controversial move.

After The Man with the Golden Arm, Bass went on to produce title sequences and posters for many of the last century's most iconic films - Psycho, The Shining, North by North West and Schindler's List to name just a few - all represented at Kemistry Gallery. He also stepped behind the camera himself, directing his way to an Oscar with his short film Why Man Creates in 1968. But it's for his graphic magic he'll be remembered best, as this exhibition bears testament.

Poster for The Shining

Poster for The Shining (1980) by Saul Bass

(Image credit: Saul Bass)

Poster for Schindler’s List

Poster for Schindler’s List (1993) by Saul Bass

(Image credit: Saul Bass)

Posters for The Man with the Golden Arm

Posters for The Man with the Golden Arm (1955)

(Image credit: Saul Bass)

Poster for The Two of Us

Poster for The Two of Us by Saul Bass

(Image credit: Saul Bass)

Poster for The Human Factor

Poster for The Human Factor (1979) by Saul Bass

(Image credit: Saul Bass)

Poster for The Fixer

Poster for The Fixer (1968) by Saul Bass

(Image credit: Saul Bass)

Poster for Seconds

Poster for Seconds (1966) by Saul Bass

(Image credit: Saul Bass)

Poster for Nine Hours to Rama

Poster for Nine Hours to Rama (1963) by Saul Bass

(Image credit: Saul Bass)

Poster for Anatomy of a Murder

Poster for Anatomy of a Murder (1955) by Saul Bass

(Image credit: Saul Bass)

Poster for Grand Prix

Poster for Grand Prix (1966) by Saul Bass

(Image credit: Saul Bass)

Poster for Exodus

Poster for Exodus (1960) by Saul Bass

(Image credit: Saul Bass)

Poster for Bunny Lake is Missing

Poster for Bunny Lake is Missing (1965) by Saul Bass

(Image credit: Saul Bass)

Poster for Bonjour Tristesse

Poster for Bonjour Tristesse (1958) by Saul Bass

(Image credit: Saul Bass)

Advise & Consent

Advise & Consent (1962) by Saul Bass

(Image credit: Saul Bass)

ADDRESS

Kemistry Gallery
43 Charlotte Road
London EC2A 3PD

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Malaika Byng is an editor, writer and consultant covering everything from architecture, design and ecology to art and craft. She was online editor for Wallpaper* magazine for three years and more recently editor of Crafts magazine, until she decided to go freelance in 2022. Based in London, she now writes for the Financial Times, Metropolis, Kinfolk and The Plant, among others.