So much ’80s art, so little time… Two years ago when I started this blog, I had to search long and hard to find 1980s images online. I knew every ’80s design pic by heart, and I added my share of new images to the mix, but I yearned for the day when a 1980s revival would reach the realms of art and interior design. That day has arrived, and my head is exploding (and I couldn’t be happier about it)! ’80s art Tumblrs are popping up left and right, and we’re here to spotlight 10 of the best! A special thanks to my friends Art and Afshar for leading me to some of my favorite Tumblrs on this list. You won’t want to miss what follows…
’80s Art Week Begins!
This week at Mirror80, we celebrate the 1980s art revival that has exploded in recent months. And we couldn’t be happier about it! Thanks to a slew of Tumblrs featuring ’80s art and graphic design pieces, a renewed interest in this visually rich era is finally taking flight! In future posts, we’ll point you to some stellar ’80s art Tumblrs and highlight current artists who are creating ’80s-style pieces. We’ll also show you where to buy 1980s art, and most importantly, we’ll revel in the awesomeness of geometry, grids and unparalleled color combinations…
’80s Graphic Design Finds from Il Giardino Luxor
Hey all you dreamers out there… Today we spotlight three ’80s postcards from Etsy shop Il Giardino Luxor. These collectibles feature artwork from Italian postcard company Arti Grafiche Ricordi. Since we couldn’t stop with just one, we decided to highlight three 1980s-fabulous selections featuring beautiful, wistful young ladies in various states of daydreaming. Since most of us will never indulge in a bittersweet moment while seagulls fly overhead, a swan uses our scalp as a launchpad or two birds becomes friends in the windowsill below, we can at least live vicariously through these lovely heroines…
The Art of Vasare Nar
Today we showcase the work of Belfast-based artist Vasare Nar, whose tribal art puts a new spin on ’80s motifs. Her blog, Vasare’s Visual Wonderland, highlights her amazing illustrations and photography. Not to mention, her designs can be purchased in the form of prints, stretched canvases, iPhone cases, laptop skins, tees and more through her Society6 shop!
A Very ’80s Summer!
Summer is finally here, and to heat things up with sizzling ’80s style, today we present our favorite seasonal images! Check out our top ’80s summer pics, from pop culture classics to tropical designer fabric from the decade of decadence. If a photo catches your eye, check out the link to the blog post where it originally appeared for more ’80s-fabulous details. Oh, and have a rad summer!
New ’80s-Style Tribal Art Finds
Here at Mirror80, we’ve covered the emerging 1980s design revival, noting how the areas of fashion and graphic design have been the first to celebrate ’80s motifs. Yet the world of interior design has been slower to embrace the 1980s. It’s no wonder then that for ’80s tribal style to be welcomed back into our homes, it would first have to appear in the fashion world, as the last few years have shown. We’re thrilled about the ’80s tribal redux, especially since it has now jumped from shirts and dresses to the walls of our interiors thanks to today’s talented Etsy artists.
Pic Fix: ’80s Clouds
It’s official–we’re crazy for clouds! 1980s clouds, that is. Not only have they infiltrated our collection of Pinterest boards, they permeated art and graphic design throughout our favorite decade. In fact, it seemed the skies were always blue in the ’80s, at least when it came to ’80s album covers, stickers and artwork. A renewed interest in surrealist art was evident by a plethora of puffy clouds and checkered floors. Or the clouds simply provided a dreamy background for cover art highlights, as shown above for the Spyro Gyra album “Freetime.”
New Swatch Watches With ’80s Style
It’s no secret that Mirror80 is a wee bit obsessed with Swatch Watches! So you can imagine our surprise when we stumbled across a brand spanking new ’80s tribal Swatch on the pages of a fashion magazine. After further research, it seems other ’80s motifs (such as zebra print) are now gracing the Swatch collection! With ’80s fashion motifs once again in full effect, it’s no surprise that Swatch would catch on and bring back a bit of the decade that made them famous!
The Art of Francesco Mancin
Today we are delighted to spotlight the art of Italian graphic designer and videomaker Francesco Mancin. Art, music, fashion and film inspire his work, as does the style of the renowned 1980s design collective The Memphis Group. A talented artist, Mancin has created numerous posters that celebrate Memphis design while adding a contemporary touch to ’80s motifs. Modern yet retro, Mancin’s work exemplifies the artful blend of past and present.
Whit Stillman’s Metropolitan
In honor of acclaimed indie director Whit Stillman’s new film Damsels in Distress, we travel back to the year 1990 and revisit his very first movie, the beloved Metropolitan. The plot is simple: a group of upper class college students on winter break navigate the social waters of New York’s debutante season. Long, puffy formal wear and Upper East Side apartments reflecting late ’80s elegance are screen staples, and an amazing script (written by Stillman) earned this gem of a film an Oscar nomination.
