The centenary of the birth of Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond, is to
be marked by a major exhibition of cover artwork from the books about
the suave secret agent 007 at the Fleming Collection at 13 Berkeley
Street, London W1.
Bond Bound: Ian Fleming & The Art of Cover Design, which will be on
show from 22 April to 28 June 2008, will include unique and previously
unseen archive material.
Fleming, who was born on 28 May 1908, was the grandson of Dundee-born
Robert Fleming (1845-1933), the founder of the investment bank that
bore his name for more than a century. The bank acquired the world’s
finest corporate collection of Scottish art now housed at The Fleming
Collection, which is supported by the Fleming-Wyfold Art Foundation, an
independent charity.
Bond Bound: Ian Fleming & The Art of Cover Design will cover all
Ian Fleming’s books including the children’s story Chitty Chitty Bang
Bang and Thrilling Cities¬ -his collected travel journalism. However,
much of the exhibition will inevitably chart the role of artists and
designers in creating and defining the Bond look. The covers of Bond
novels stretching back more than half a century provide a fascinating
snapshot of society’s changes attitudes to sex, feminism and politics.
Fleming’s first Bond novel Casino Royale was published in 1953, and
the author worked on the cover design himself, describing it as one of
“exquisite symmetry and absolute chastity”. Over the ensuing decades
the front cover was changed on several occasions reflecting a more open
attitude towards sex and later a move towards greater simplicity on
book jackets.
The James Bond brand was established within the first few pages of
Casino Royale. 007 had cold, ruthless eyes, drove a 1933 4.5 litre
Bentley and drank Martinis “shaken not stirred”. He smoked Morland
cigarettes (a special Balkan and Turkish blend), carried a .25 Beretta
automatic handgun and soon met the enchanting Vesper Lynd, who wore a
black velvet dress “simple and yet with the touch of splendour that
only half a a dozen couturiers in the world could achieve.” It was a
compelling mixture of sex, style and violence that soon turned Bond
into the most famous fictional secret agent in history.
That in turn provided artists and designers with wonderful
opportunities to use their talents to the full. The exhibition will
come right up to date with the literary legacy of Ian Fleming,
including artwork from Charlie Higson’s bestselling Young Bond series,
The Moneypenny Diaries by Samantha Weinberg, which add a previously
unknown female perspective to the Bond story and the latest instalment
in Bond’s adult life written as a tribute to Ian Fleming for the
Centenary by Sebastian Faulks.
Bond Bound: Ian Fleming & The Art of Cover Design will be
accompanied by a catalogue containing essays by a number of experts
including Alan Powers, an art historian and author of two publications
on the design of book jackets. The exhibition will go on tour after it
closes in London.
The Fleming Collection exhibition is one of a series of events marking the centenary of Ian Fleming’s birth. These will include:
- The new James Bond novel Devil May Care written by Sebastian Faulks.
- A major exhibition celebrating the life of Ian Fleming at the
Imperial War Museum in London from 25 April 2008 to 1 March 2009.
- A special Ian Fleming’s James Bond stamp issue, featuring the book covers, produced by the Royal Mail.
- A BBC Radio Four dramatisation of the Bond novel Dr No.
The Fleming Collection is supported by the Fleming-Wyfold Art Foundation
For further information and images:
Cawdell Douglas
10-11 Lower John Street
London W1F 9EB
T: + 44 (0)20 7439 2822
F: + 44 (0)20 7287 5488
Notes to Editors:
The Fleming Collection
13 Berkeley Street
London W1
Tel: +44 (0)20 7409 5730
Fax: +44 (0)20 7409 573
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