Often called the "Teflon President" because "no criticism ever stuck," these posters are historical proof that Reagan was not universally admired. From Boston to Los Angeles, and from Finland to Australia, poster artists critiqued Reagan’s extreme right wing domestic agenda and propensity to attack sovereign nations. Posters protest Reagan’s destructive domestic policies against women’s rights, the environment, healthcare and education cut backs. They mourn the tens of thousands killed by his wars against the people of Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala. They dispute his reasons for invading Grenada or bombing Libya. The list goes on. The virtual exhibition has just a sampling of the hundreds of posters in CSPG’s collection that accuse Ronald Reagan of crimes against humanity. How many of these were in the miniseries?

Many posters appropriate the visual language of advertising and film promotion. Reagan carries Margaret Thatcher in a parody of "Gone With the Wind." Others rely on puns and familiar slogans. A 1966 poster made while Reagan was Governor of California, portrays him as a cowboy with the slogan, "Fascist Gun In the West." Nancy Reagan does not escape attack, as in "Fallout Fashion" which simultaneously lampoons her penchant for high fashion and the president’s promotion of nuclear weapons. Whether posters by Robbie Conal or the Guerrilla Girls are seen as humorous or scathing may depend upon the eye of the beholder.

Selections from "Graphics for the Gipper" will also appear in "A Presidential Rogues Gallery," posters satirizing every US president from Lyndon Baines Johnson to George W. Bush. "A Presidential Rogues Gallery" will be exhibited in two venues during this election year: Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA, July 3 – September 5, 2004; In These Times, Chicago, IL, September 24 – November 20, 2004.

The Center for the Study of Political Graphics (CSPG) is a non-profit educational archive that collects, conserves and exhibits domestic and international posters relating to historical and contemporary movements for peace and social justice. Controversial, frequently anonymous and noncommercial, political posters are one of the most accessible and democratic art forms. Using its more than 50,000 posters, CSPG has produced more than 40 educational exhibitions ranging from children’s rights to immigrants’ rights. By preserving and exhibiting these rare visual records to a broad audience, CSPG recovers both lost art and history—and reclaims the power of art to inspire people to action.

For information call (323)653-4662 or e-mail cspg@politicalgraphics.org