Mid–Century Bright

David Klein is one of my favorite artists from one of my favorite design eras.

His vibrant saturated palette and exuberantly decorative designs reflect

the optimistic spirit of the times and his personal fascination

with bright colors and abstract shapes and patterns. 

David Klein was born in El Paso in 1918 and studied at the Art Center School in Los Angeles. 

During the 1930s he worked and exhibited as a fine art painter in California.

After serving in the army during World War II, Klein moved to New York and 

became the art director of a theatrical advertising agency where he produced 

window cards and posters for many successful Broadway shows.

Most of these images come from the David Klein website curated

by his estate, which hosts a rich selection of his works.

Around 1957, Klein was commissioned to illustrate a series of travel posters 

for Trans World Airlines. The gorgeous, colorful and innovative artworks 

which ensued have become his most famous and beloved creations

and many of them can be found here and there on the web.

 Recently, the very informative Today's Inspirations has posted 

beautiful high quality scans of some of these posters, and 

you can see a tribute by contemporary artists on illostribute.

Klein also illustrated children's books, but unfortunately 

I have no information about the titles, dates or publishers.

A lovely series of limited edition prints featuring animals

created by Klein in 1966 is now available at Rosie Hippo.