I had hoped to review a new Berkeley-related exhibition about typography reviewed by Chloe Veltman in yesterday’s New York Times. Unfortunately, despite the story’s appearance, Gallery 16, the space holding the “Emigre” exhibition was not open yesterday.
So the next best thing is to alert Berkeleyside readers to “Emigre at Gallery 16” which focuses on the work of the Berkeley graphic design company Emigre during its 1980s-90s heydey.
Founded in 1984 by husband-and-wife team Rudy VanderLans and Zuzana Licko, Emigre published a critically acclaimed magazine, also called Emigre, which, to quote Veltman, “featured innovative typefaces and posters; eye-catching photography; offbeat profiles of writers and artists; and wide-ranging critical essays on subjects like the Bauhaus movement and the legibility of fonts”.
The magazine no longer exists, but Emigre still operates as a font foundry and its library houses more than 300 typefaces.
“Emigre at Gallery 16” continues through January 29 (Monday to Saturday) at Gallery 16, 501 Third Street, San Francisco; (415) 626-7495, gallery16.com.
[Visual: Gallery 16]