Ninotchka, 1939, movie poster painting by Macario Quibus Painting by Stars on Art

''Ninotchka'', 1939, movie poster painting by Macario Quibus

by Stars on Art

Canvas Print

$69

Framed Print

$87

Art Print

$20

Poster

$20

Metal Print

$75

Acrylic Print

$83

Wood Print

$55

Tapestry

$41

Throw Pillow

$27

Fleece Blanket

$53

Duvet Cover

$105

Shower Curtain

$83

Bath Towel

$35

Jigsaw Puzzle

$40

Tote Bag

$26

Weekender Tote Bag

$45

Carry-all Pouch

$23

Portable Battery Charger

$49

Yoga Mat

$75

Greeting Card

$5.95

Spiral Notebook

$17

Sticker

$4.00

iPhone Case

$25

Beach Towel

$35

Round Beach Towel

$80

Weekender Tote Bag

$45

Coffee Mug

$17

Face Mask

$16

Men's Clothing

$30

Women's Clothing

$30

Youth Clothing

$26

Toddler Clothing

$24

Baby Clothing

$28

Title

''Ninotchka'', 1939, movie poster painting by Macario Quibus

Artist

Stars on Art

Medium

Painting - Movie Posters

Description

Base painting of the vintage movie poster for ''Ninotchka'', 1939, with Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas.

Base art is the poster artwork after the text has been digitally removed. It thereby closely recreates the original painting used for the poster. As practically all those original paintings have been lost, a recreation attempts to display the original art before the movie studios added descriptive text. See also our collection "Movie Poster Base Paintings."

About the artist:

Macario ("Mac") Gomez Quibus (1926-2018), born in Reus (Tarragona) Spain in 1926, was a well-known Spanish film poster artist. He developed a reputation among Hollywood studios for the powerful images he painted on Spanish film posters. He signed his works using the nickname, "Mac."

In his style, Mac is an artist with two faces. Some works are strongly expressive and dramatic, others lighter and luminous. There are movies posters characterized by vigorous brushstrokes, chiaroscuro effects, dark palettes, and almost Caravaggio-like lighting; others are extremely graphic, linear, schematic, characterized by the dazzling use of white color. The art of Quibus is a painting style based on lights and shadows, which goes beyond the conformist standards of design to achieve great expressive power.

When he was two, his father died in a work accident. Following an early talent in art, Mac studied at the School of Fine Arts beginning in 1935 and during the Spanish Civil War. At the age of 20, he visited Barcelona's Museum of Modern Art, where he discovered the work of 19th century Catalan painter Mariano Fortuny. Enamored by his style, Mac spent days examining Fortuny's canvases.

With a renewed motivation to continue studying art, he enrolled at the Escola de Belles Arts in Barcelona. He also began working in 1952 with an advertising company specializing in cinema. Later, he created art for the famous design studio, Clavé and Martí Picó (MCP), where he made numerous posters. One was a poster for "Ivanhoe," which caught the attention and acclaim of a senior executive at MGM.

In 1956, he earned his most significant break when Paramount studios hired him to design the poster for "The Ten Commandments," which led to a friendship with its star, Charlton Heston. Mac gifted Heston with a custom-painted portrait of Moses from the film, which the actor hung in his office. Similarly, Kirk Douglas received the original painting for "The Justices of the West."

From that point on, he continued to develop a style that transgressed the standard rules of composition and interpretation. Instead, he produced unique works with great expressive force. His style was credited for its creativity, nonconformity, and harmony. In recognition of his talent, in 1955, he was put in charge of all the publicity material for Tandem Films, a major Madrid film production company, and distributor.

Throughout his 20-year career, Mac earned esteem as one of Spain's finest film poster artists, having created over 4,000 works. Among the numerous Spanish posters he painted are some of today's most beloved films: "Casablanca," "A Streetcar Named Desire," "Rebeca," "Moulin Rouge," "El Cid," "Dr. No," "Play it Again, Sam," and "From Russia with Love."

Mac eventually became an independent artist who worked with all the American distributors. And although he had the chance to move to the United States, he chose not to leave his family or the creative inspiration he received living in Barcelona.

During his career, he received numerous honors. In 2012, the Sitges festival premiered the short film "Un chico de Portada," directed by David Muñoz, covering Mac's life and work, with interviews with the artist himself. In 2013, he was named an honorary member of the Catalan Film Academy. And in 2014, he received the Creu de Sant Jordi from the Generalitat de Catalunya. In addition, his work has been exhibited at the National Film Library in Madrid and the Verdi cinema in Barcelona.

By the time of his death in 2018, at the age of 92, he had created over 4,000 works, many of which still captivate movie fans today.

Search "Mac" to see more of his posters.