Please join us in January 2025, the date and time may be subject to change, for our first art exhibition at SHADE in the King Liberty Center. More details to come.

Collectomania showcases Tom Strong’s remarkable collection of Swiss Posters, ranging from the 1950s to today. Strong is a graphic designer, photographer, and collector based in Connecticut and has dedicated sixty years to curating, displaying, and living with his extensive archive.

Collectomania originated at the Museum of Contemporary Art Westport (MOCA Connecticut). It is curated by Pamela Hovland, designer, and Professor of Graphic Design at the Yale School of Art. MOCA curator Karen Salsgiver and her team did a fantastic job of organizing and presenting the exhibition. We hope to bring the exhibition to SHADE in Honolulu's Chinatown, which is our culture & arts district. 

Swiss design culture has had a profound impact on the field of graphic design, with Swiss posters—especially those from the mid-20th century—becoming iconic and integral to design education worldwide. Created at uniform scale for display in the streets of Zurich, Lucerne, and Basel, these posters are now highly sought after by collectors, preserved in the collections of major museums, and featured in art and design publications.

While grid structures had appeared in design before, the 1950s marked the formalization of a specific set of design principles that shaped the modern era and remains a cultural cornerstone across the world. The Swiss grid system avoided historical references tied to any one country, presenting a universal, anonymous, and modern aesthetic. In the postwar era, Switzerland’s trilingual publications spread internationally, helping to define Modern design and promote grid-based layouts.