Art of the Poster Talk | Rangsook Yoon

Sarasota Art Museum's Senior Curator Rangsook Yoon, Ph.D., explores one of the quintessential themes of the modern era as celebrated in Art Deco posters: the thrill of speed and the excitement of a world full of destinations suddenly within reach.

Airplanes, trains, automobiles, and ocean liners made travelers feel a part of the progress and dynamism of the 1920s and 1930s. Dr. Yoon highlights how technological advances in the early 20th century transformed people’s lives and shaped their experiences of the world, fueling society’s obsession with machines and the exhilarating possibilities of travel.

She also discusses how Art Deco designers, influenced by avant-garde modernist movements such as Cubism, Futurism, and Constructivism, created bold, streamlined graphic compositions that captured speed, movement, and the promise of adventure. This lecture transports audiences back to a time when art and technology converged to define modernity, offering a close look at the iconic posters that reflect the intersection of art, commerce, and innovation.

About Rangsook Yoon

Dr. Rangsook Yoon is Senior Curator at Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design. She previously served as Curator of Modern Art and Director of Curatorial Affairs at Artis–Naples, The Baker Museum, and oversaw exhibitions, public programs, and artist residencies at the Art & History Museums–Maitland.

Her academic work and publications span early modern European art, modern and contemporary art from Europe, Asia, and the Americas, and art theory. Born and educated in South Korea, she studied at Korea University in Seoul, and then earned a PhD in art history from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. She was a professor at nationally ranked liberal arts colleges before beginning her museum career at the Rollins Museum of Art. In 2021-22, she was selected as one of ten international curators for the Association of Art Museum Curators’ Propel Program. She continues to mentor emerging artists and curators and serves on the advisory board of the Sarasota-based Halo Arts Project, which supports regional artists through grants and community engagement.