March 31, 2008

This is a statement by Joe Simboli about his posters I am selling:

The Vietnam War was raging. For the first time, images of the conflict and daily body counts made their way into American homes by way of TV. It reminded me of my experiences during the fight against the Nazis in WWII and what I encountered in Ordruf, the first death camp to be liberated in Germany. The stacks of dead bodies and barely living remaining prisoners made clearly evident man’s potential for savage inhumanity.

In protest of the Vietnam War, a well-known art director in New York City sent out a call for artists and designers to create anti-war posters. To support his efforts, I responded with a few poster designs. Later, sometime in the 70’s, I chose two of my posters and had them printed. They were sold on college campuses and in bookstores.

Man has engaged in war from his very beginning. Sometimes the reason for it is not black and white, but exists in shades of gray. These posters are not meant to be a political statement. They are a reflection on the cruelty of war and its insanity.

- Joe Simboli, 2008