In March 2009 I received an email from Eiran Litvin bringing to my attention the Pevzner collection in the Mehlman Library at Tel Aviv University. Although I worked at the University for many years (1978-2004) I never heard of this collection which resided just 200 meters from my office.

I went to the University to see if they included any Shamir work. I found 15 posters signed by Shamir Brothers. Most of the posters are also at the Central Zionist Archive and other archives, but two of them I saw for the first time, both were propaganda posters of Mapai (the Labour party) and both in a unique format: long and narrow. The first - "If you are a responsible citizen vote Mapai" and the second - "Failure in numbers."

In August Reuven Cohen of Shenkar Institute for Research and Design came along with his secretary, Shimrit, to the Mehlman Library and photographed all the Shamir posters as well as posters by other designers.

Zalman Pevsner (1891-1979) worked at the “Shaar Zion” Library (Zion Gate) from 1925 to 1957. The Tel Aviv Municipality acquired his collection in 1965 and in 1966 gave it to Tel Aviv University. The collection includes posters, special editions of newspapers satitical newspapers, circulars and reports from 1893 to 1964 (but mostly from the late 20s to early 50s).

Prior to writing this piece, I asked the director of the library- to send me a description of the collection. I learned from him that it included a large number of "cinema ads and posters. I am looking for the only film poster I am aware of that was designed by Shamir for the film "On the beach") with Ava Gardner and Gregory Peck, 1960. I found a reproduction in the graphic art magazine “Annual of International Advertising Art”. I looked for the poster in the archives of the Department of Film of Tel Aviv University, in the Tel Aviv Cinematque and the Jerusalem Cinemateque - in vain.

I will try to search for it in the Pevsner collection.

Yoram Shamir 2009