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2024, “Student to Artist: In Pursuit of the Artistic Practice”
Following his education at Washburn College, Bradbury Thompson designed the university’s mascot, the Ichabod. He then moved to New York, where he worked as a designer and art director of catalogs, journals, and magazines. Credited with helping to adapt traditional typography to the modern world, Bradbury is considered to have been one of the most important graphic designers of the 20th century. The Bradbury Thompson Alumni Center on Washburn campus is named for him.Label
Bradbury Thompson
Neo Classic, c. 1993
lithograph, silkscreen, embossing and lacquer on archival French Arches paper
Collection of Mulvane Art Museum, Washburn University
Thompson was known for updating classic typography for modern times. A similar approach is taken here. Humorously, an ancient Greek drives a sporty convertible. The car’s wheels have nine spinning legs, while the presumably slower chariot only has three. This print was commissioned and published by Special Editions Ltd., the art subsidiary of Playboy Enterprises, Inc.