Angry Graphics | Collection Highlights | Collection of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

In 1992, Karrie Jacobs and Steven Heller published Angry Graphics, a chronicle of oppositional images created during the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush. These passionate works were born in the heat of that period’s wars, epidemics, and economic upheavals. Jacobs and Heller donated many of their posters to Cooper Hewitt.

In white above: FREE GERONIMO PRATT/...FIGHTING SPIRIT OF THE BLACK NATION: lower right: one of the longest held political prisoners in the U.S. today...[4 lines of text]. Color photograph of a bearded man gesturing with hand at group of children playing.

Poster, Free Geronimo Pratt, ca. 1980
print on paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-1

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

American flag; in black: SMART BOMBS / DUMB KIDS.

Poster, Smart Bombs Dumb Kids, ca. 1980
screenprint on thin white paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-2

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Four airplanes flying in the sky, and in blue text: REMEMBER VIETNAM/ U.S. planes are dropping napalm and white phosphorus bombs over Salvadorean villages daily/ STOP THE AIR WAR/ SUPPORT THE FLMN/ FDR/ EL SALVADOR WILL WIN!

Poster, Remember Vietnam, ca. 1980
screenprint on paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-3

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Drawing of television set for Alonzo Cretini's Salon Politique. Inside television stenciled text: BOREDUM...BOR/Y...APATHY...AP/..AUTHORITY...A/OM...BOREDUM

Poster, Salon Politique, ca. 1980
print on paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-4

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Photograph of Ronald Reagan with UPC code.

Poster, Buyer Beware, ca. 1980
screenprint on off-white paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-5

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
There are 4 images of this object.

Two hands inserting ballots into ballot boxes are shown. The word "Vote" appears at the right of each hand. The words and images appear in cream against an orange background.

Poster, Vote, ca. 1980
screenprint on cream paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-6-1

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Two hands inserting ballots into ballot boxes are shown. The word "Vote" appears at the right of each hand. The words and images appear in cream against a green background.

Poster, Vote, ca. 1980
screenprint on cream paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-6-2

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Two hands inserting ballots into ballot boxes are shown. The word "Vote" appears at the right of each hand. The words and images appear in cream against a blue background.

Poster, Vote, ca. 1980
screenprint on cream paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-6-3

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Two hands inserting ballots into ballot boxes are shown. The word "Vote" appears at the right of each hand. The words and images appear in cream against a black background.

Poster, Vote, ca. 1980
screenprint on cream paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-6-4

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Poster, Brand Names, ca. 1980
screenprint on brown paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-7-1

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Print of sheep on black background

Poster, Sheep, ca. 1980
screenprint on brown paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-7-2

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Print of sheep on black background

Poster, Sheep, ca. 1980
screenprint on brown paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-7-4

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Photo of gay men For the Red Hot & Blue project

Poster, safe sex is hot sex, 1991
lithograph on paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-8

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Poster, Narkoman i ya, 1988
offset lithograph on paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-9

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Small girl with arms raised towards adult hands; in Russian(?)

Poster, MAMA!, 1990
lithograph on paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-10

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Print of man in coat of arms with cat in hat; in Russian(?)

Poster, Toomaga on Kindel, 1990
lithograph on paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-11

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Skull and bones on can in flames; DON'T BURN/ PCB's/ public hearing, 10-29, 7:30pm/ Friends Ctr. 4001 9th NE (near univ. bridge) MONKEY PRESS ad for public hearing in Washington, D.C.

Poster, Don't Burn PCB's, ca. 1980
lithograph on paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-15

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

In the foreground, illustrated figures of a hispanic woman at left and man at right, rural agrarian landscape in background, military helicopters hovering above. Above the helicopters, clouds of black smoke form a solid black background. Below, a brown ground with printed text in yellow and white.

Poster, Help Stop U.S. Arms Shipments to El Salvador, 1983
lithograph on paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-16

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Agrarian farm scene; on brown ground, green curving rows indicate plowed fields. At the horizon, green palm trees, a factory with smoke stack, a ship unloading goods at the shore, and a figure driving a tractor. In the blue sky above, a white dove in flight carrying an olive branch.

Poster, No Trade Embargo / Let Nicaragua Live, 1985
lithograph on paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-17

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Print of animals and plants For the Rainforest Network

Poster, Save the Rainforest, ca. 1980
lithograph on paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-18

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Ad for rally and training For Rainforest Action Network.

Poster, Save Hawaii Puna Rainforest, ca. 1980
lithograph on paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-19

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Description: Print of soldier labeled "U.S. Advisor"/ U.S. OUT/ OF CENTRAL AMERICA!/ VICTORY TO FMLN FDR!/ DEFEND NICARAGUA!

Poster, U.S. Out of Central America!, ca. 1980
screenprint on paepr.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-20

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
There are 3 images of this object.

On white ground, the background printed with all-over gray text listing the names of corporations and companies with South African connections and investments. At center, red map of the continent of Africa. At the southern point, figure of an African man, his hands overlapping the border of the continent as though pulling himself out of it. Printed text above and at lower left. Green framing line.

Poster, End Apartheid, 1985
offset lithograph on paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-21

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Nine images of Ronald Reagan in various moods for Alonzo Cretini's Salon Politique.

Poster, Tired of grade b acting?, ca. 1980
screenprint on off-white heavy paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-22

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Text in balloon, drawing of finger almost pressing button for Alonzo Cretini's Salon Politique.

Poster, Maybe this will make my point clear!, ca. 1980
screenprint on off-white paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-23

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Image of "New Day" by Salim Yaqub For Liberation Graphics

Poster, Palestine, 1989
lithograph on paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-24

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

On white ground, a large black circle with a thin horizontal gaping line at center. In this gap is a sketchy application of red pigment. Printed black text below.

Poster, Fiftieth National Bourgeois Art Exhibit, 1981
lithograph on white paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-25

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Print of figure with hammer, above a quote by Bertolt Brecht: "Art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer with which to shape it."

Poster, Art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer with which to...
lithograph on white paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-26

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Abstracted black and white image of a man with mouth open. Above, in white: READY FOR WAR.

Poster, Ready for War, 1982
screenprint on white paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-27

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
There are 3 images of this object.

Majority of poster on green ground with horizontal bands of yellow at top and bottom, thin horizontal red framing lines at top and bottom. At center, illustration of a white skull wearing green aviator sunglasses that reflect a black map of the continent of Africa in each eye. Surrounding the base of the skull is a necklace with different charms including bullets, diamonds, gold coins, a heart, and the Statue of Liberty. Printed text above and below.

Poster, The Mozamgola Caper, 1986
lithograph on paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-28

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

On white ground, black and white reproduction of "La Conquista" by artist Diego Rivera with text; beast stabbing warrior in armor. Folded newsletter of the Alliance for Cultural Democracy with text one side, image on other.

Print, Active Resistance Demands Active Solidarity, ca. 1980
lithograph on paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-29

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Angry group hurling rocks at soldiers and tank emblazoned with U.S. flag and "Pinochet" Poster to commemorate the nineteenth anniversary of the military coup in Chile. Text in black ink at top: Sept. 11, 1973 - Sept 11, 1983. Text in red ink: DOWN/WITH THE/CHILEAN/DICTATORSHIP!/SUPPORT THE POPULAR/RESISTANCE!

Poster, Down With The Chilean Dictatorship!, 1983
print on yellow paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-30

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
There are 3 images of this object.

Print of eagle with claws gripping map of Grenada; "No!" emblazoned across eagle.

Poster, U.S. Out of Grenada, 1983
screenprint on white paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-31

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
There are 4 images of this object.

Arm holding a trowel raised from behind a brick wall to group of Klan members, with city skyline and Golden Gate Bridge in background Ad for demonstration in San Francisco; for John Brown Anti-Klan Committee

Poster, Build a Wall of Resistance, 1984
screenprint on white paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-32

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
There are 4 images of this object.

Description: Promotional poster for the Nicaraguan Information Center; print of hands with coffee plants

Poster, Nicaragua, 1984
lithograph on off-white paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-33

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.

Image of a man dressed in cowboy hat and boots in black and white with text in black, white and red.

Poster, Viva FSLN Sandino Lives, ca. 1980
lithograph on white paper.
Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
1993-53-34

This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.