U of T hosts Imaginus Poster and Prints Sale
Miranda Mirabelli ARTS EDITOR
Last week, the Arts & Science building (Sidney Smith Building) lived up to its name by hosting a poster and prints sale in the entrance and lobby. Through October 10 to October 13, U of T hosted Imaginus at Sid Smith on St. George. This mobile gallery is one of Canada’s largest travelling poster retailers, visiting numerous university and college campuses and has been in circulation since 1975. Imaginus has over one thousand prints and posters, including a vast variety of timeless historic masterpieces, empowering pop culture phenomena, photos of famous celebrities and scenic landscapes. The poster company sells many timeless prints for less than a fraction of the cost, allowing any university or college student to decorate their dorms with exciting collections of famous posters and prints.
Many of the posters and prints showcased and presented by Imaginus are replicas of paintings and famous artworks we’ve seen throughout our lives, com- posed by many famous painters and artists. There is a wide range of sizes to choose from, as well as the option to buy specific frames for the art. Imaginus’ posters and prints are a constantly evolving collection comprised of new works as well as old, with catalogues of artworks from eighty publishers located all around the world. Some examples sold are pieces by Vincent van Gogh, Andy Warhol, and Giuseppe Garibaldi. Other examples of pieces include photography of nature and scenic landscapes, silly cartoons and maps, ranging from the World Map to The Lord of the Rings map of Middle Earth.
The Imaginus poster and prints sales bring together an array of art appreciators to purchase timeless master- pieces for the lowest price possible. I, myself, decided to purchase a number of pieces, despite not being able to hang any art in my room due to very little wall space. However, I bought the artworks because there is a large variety of prints that I had found beautiful and intriguing. For a big Vincent van Gogh fan, I was amazed to see the large variety of paintings and replicas. I decided to purchase a print I had never seen be- fore, called “Almond Blossoms,” painted by the famous artist in 1890. The painting is not like van Gogh’s other famous paintings, such as “The Starry Night” or “Starry Night Over the Rhone.” The painting I purchased was something I had never seen before, and something I do not regret buying for $7, despite not being able to hang it in my room.
With the wide variety of posters and prints, Imaginus provides any student the opportunity to decorate their rooms with artwork ranging from timeless masterpieces and silly cartoons to empowering pop culture phenomena and imaginative maps. The mobile gallery has been successively traveling to different universities and colleges to pass along the opportunity to purchase amazing artworks for the lowest prices possible.
