Mondo’s Celebrating PEANUTS’ 70th Anniversary With A Charlie Brown Gallery Show
Disclosure: Mondo and BMD are both owned by the Alamo Drafthouse.
Our friends at Mondo have been putting together unique gallery shows for years now, and it's a testament to their collective imagination that, even after all these years, they're still surprising us, conceptually-speaking. Take their latest effort: a celebration of Charles M. Shulz's iconic Peanuts, timed to the strip's 70th anniversary, called It's An Art Show, Charlie Brown.
Bet ya didn't see that one coming! Let's go to the press release:
"Mondo and Peanuts Worldwide are excited to announce that Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang are taking over the Mondo Gallery this November.
“It’s An Art Show, Charlie Brown” celebrates the Peanuts characters with sixteen iconic Peanuts panels and strips by the legendary creator Charles M. Schulz produced as screenprinted posters. In addition to Mondo’s incredible screenprinted posters, the gallery will also host a pop-up shop from kindred spirits Super7, who will be on hand with an awesome assortment of officially licensed Peanuts collectibles.
The show kicks off a year of celebrations for the brand’s big anniversary - October 2, 2020 will mark 70 years since the first Peanuts strip appeared in seven American newspapers.
Opening night for “It’s An Art Show, Charlie Brown” will be held Friday, November 15 from 7pm – 10pm, and the show will be on display through November 17 during regular gallery hours (12pm - 6pm) at Mondo Gallery located at 4115 Guadalupe St. in Austin, TX.
“This show has been a Mondo dream forever, and the Peanuts team have been amazing to work with,” said Mondo Creative Director Mitch Putnam. “Focusing on single panels and removing the story really recontextualizes Schulz’s work in a cool way.”
And let's take a look at some of what'll be on offer (be aware that the first two prints seen here, "Masks" and "Great Pumpkin", will also be made available on Mondo's website on October 18th, just in time for the Great Pumpkin's arrival):
Peanuts "Masks"
Featuring artwork by Charles Schulz
24" x 16.5" Screenprinted Poster
Edition of 100
Printed by Lady Lazarus Press
$45
Peanuts "Great Pumpkin"
Featuring artwork by Charles Schulz
24" x 16.5" Screenprinted Poster
Edition of 100
Printed by Lady Lazarus Press
$45
Peanuts "Ice Cream"
Featuring artwork by Charles Schulz
18" x 21" Screenprinted Poster
Edition of 100
Printed by Lady Lazarus Press
$45
Peanuts "Hide"
Featuring artwork by Charles Schulz
16" x 24" Screenprinted Poster
Edition of 100
Printed by Lady Lazarus Press
$45
Peanuts "Beautiful"
Original art by Charles Schulz, as realized by Jon Smith
24" x 16.5" Screenprinted Poster
Edition of 100
Printed by Lady Lazarus Press
$45
This is a really cool idea for a gallery show, and doubly so given that they've actually gone to the trouble of screenprinting Charles M. Shulz's artwork. There's a slightly surreal edge to seeing these panels out of context ("Hide", in particular), blown up bigger than ever before, and besides that: this is just a really cool way to celebrate the work of a legendary artist. Well done, Mondo.
As noted above, It's An Art Show, Charlie Brown will open at the Mondo Gallery on November 15th, and will remain on display through the 17th. If you're gonna be in Austin during that time, I'd strongly recommend stopping by and checking out the show: this one's gonna be super impressive in person!
