NEW YORK, NY.- On Sunday, May 1, Poster Auctions International will offer more than 500 lots of rare, vintage posters in its 53rd auction of Art Nouveau, Art Deco, & Modern masterpieces. Following the unprecedented success of its first Winter Sale this past February, five-star collections from around the world have been gathered for this stunning event.

Starting out the sale is a remarkable collection of over 43 rare aviation posters, dating as early as 1908, when air travel was first introduced to the public. Of particular interest are the posters for the first air meets, some of which are the only known copies in the world.

Art Deco is strongly represented, highlighted especially by Broder’s famous Vichy poster – an image which perfectly captures the Gatsby-esque nature of the era. The rare Paul Colin design for Loie Fuller, often considered to be the proprietress of Modern dance, stands apart from an already-stellar collection of his works, while Dupas’s image for Hyde Park is unmatched in its elegance. The Normandie French Line by Herkomer also stands out for its haunting grace, showcasing the ship as it leaves New York harbor at night.

Art Nouveau masterpieces are peppered throughout the auction, headlined by many infrequently-seen works by Loupot, Cheret, Toussant, Steinlen and Toulouse-Lautrec. A large collection of 44 creations by Cappiello fully displays the artist’s unmatched ability in the advertising field, while a group of large fashion posters for the Italian Mele department store shows how one company reinvented elegance on the page. Additionally, a previously unrecorded work by Mucha for the Cassan Fils printing company crowns not only the sale, but also scholarly research on the artist.

Other highlights include an entire section dedicated to Josephine Baker (including many original paintings of the performer & costume designs), turn-of-the-century magic posters, Charlie Chaplin, a pre-release poster for The Godfather II, American rock & roll posters from the late 1960s, Dufau’s Pelote Basque beautifully expressing the thrills of jai-alai, early Monaco Grand Prix posters, a special section dedicated to the Grand Guignol theater of early horror, Soviet film posters, and the first use of the Michelin Man in advertising (aka Bibendum).