Blood Sweat & Gears

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Artist/Maker	BMP 4 (advertising agency) Clarke, Bettina (art director) Aldridge, Simon (copywriter) Myers, Peter (photographer)
Place of origin	United Kingdom (designed and printed)

This poster advertises Channel 4's television coverage of the 'Tour de France'. Channel 4 was the only television company in the UK broadcasting this famous cycle race. The text of this poster 'Blood Sweat and Gears' puns on the well-known phrase 'blood, sweat and tears', a reference to extreme exertion. The advertisement was created by the agency BMP 4 who invested heavily in poster campaigns using a variety of poster formats.

Object details

Categories	Prints Advertising Posters
Object type	Poster
Title	Blood Sweat & Gears (generic title)
Materials and techniques	Colour offset lithograph
Brief description	BMP4, Blood Sweat & Gears, 1993, Poster advertising launch of Channel 4's televising of the Tour de France.
Physical description	Poster advertising Channel 4's coverage of the Tour de France cycle race. The imagery is photographic. The poster depicts a cyclist against a blurred background to suggest speed. The text 'Blood Sweat and Gears' is written across the cyclists shorts, t-shirt and helmet. The text 'Tour de France' is printed in red white and blue - the colours of the French national flag. The Channel 4 logo appears in the bottom right corner. The border echoes the colour and form of the Channel 4 logo.
Dimensions	Height: 30.5cm Width: 61cm
Credit line	Given by Cassius Matthias
Subjects depicted	Speed Bicycle Helmets Tour De France
Summary	This poster advertises Channel 4's television coverage of the 'Tour de France'. Channel 4 was the only television company in the UK broadcasting this famous cycle race. The text of this poster 'Blood Sweat and Gears' puns on the well-known phrase 'blood, sweat and tears', a reference to extreme exertion. The advertisement was created by the agency BMP 4 who invested heavily in poster campaigns using a variety of poster formats.
Collection	Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number	E.3-1998

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Record created	February 24, 2009
Record URL	https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O192419/blood-sweat--gears-poster-clarke-bettina/

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