Barewalls Public Relations

Press Releases

"Starry Night" Shines Bright on Walls Throughout Much of the Country

New Index Reveals America wants Van Gogh in its Homes

Cambridge, MA (July 13, 1999) -- While America's print and poster tastes vary significantly by region, the hands-down favorite of the majority of the nation is Vincent van Gogh's "Starry Night," according to the new Barewalls Print and Poster Index (PPI).

The Barewalls PPI, developed by online print and poster retailer Barewalls, measures the popularity of prints and posters nationwide. As one of the largest retailers of art prints and posters online, Barewalls has unique access to data on which selections are most popular by region. The site also tracks trends -- how tastes in artwork change over time.

While Van Gogh's "Starry Night" is the overwhelming favorite nationally, the PPI reveals that Southern walls are the only ones that spurn this masterpiece. The more obscure Leonetto Cappiello's "Victoria Arduino", a classic print ad capturing the essence of the business man on the run, is the favorite in the Southern region, followed by William H. Beard's dancing bears in "The Bear Dance" and Parade's famed "Breakfast at Tiffany's" photograph.

"The results of the Barewalls PPI reveal that while, by and large, the masters -- particularly Van Gogh -- have universal appeal, there are some very definite distinctions in taste in different regions of the country," said Daniel Spira, co-founder of Barewalls.

For example, the second favorite pick in the Pacific Coast and Mid-Atlantic regions is Rembrandt's "Return of the Prodigal Son". On the other hand, New Englanders and Mid-Westerners veer toward the less traditional: New England's number two spot went to "Eating Above Manhattan", by an unknown artist -- a picture of construction workers lunching in the air on a single rafter. And C.M. Coolidge's depiction of poker-playing dogs in "A Friend in Need" was the second favorite in the Midwest.

The Barewalls PPI tracked nearly 40,000 purchases of prints and posters online at Barewalls since 1997. The index also monitors recent trends in print purchases.

According to the Barewalls PPI, Henri de Toulouse Lautrec's "Chat Noir" is increasingly gaining popularity in the South and on the Pacific Coast. Mark Miller's "The Great Chile Poster" is covering more and more walls in the Mountain Region and Leonetto Cappiello is making another strong showing, now in the Southwest, with "Cinzano," a classic liquor ad for one of the advert artist's most lucrative clients.

To learn more about regional print and poster trends and preferences, check out The Barewalls Voyeur on http://www.barewalls.com.

For Public Relations inquiries Contact Us