One of literature and cinema’s most beloved figures is Britain’s Secret Service Operative with a license to kill, James Bond. Since 1953 this character has graced the pages of 12 Ian Flemming novels including 2 collections of short stories, 49 books by other authors, and a staggering 27 films!
Many men have played the womanizing, sure-shot spy with fancy cars and gadgets including: George Lazenby, Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and our favorite, Daniel Craig. Each one bringing their own distinct take on the beloved spy.
U.K. artist Adam Stothard has an ongoing Bond poster project that currently features the films of Sean Connery. (We can’t WAIT to see what he does with the Daniel Craig Bond films!) Here is what he had to say about the series.
“My Bond series started back in 2020 when I showcased a piece of artwork celebrating Sean Connery’s portrayal as Bond, at a London art exhibition, titled Idols to Icons – An art exhibition through the love of cinema. It was created in the style of a classic romance novel cover and featured 007 and Money Penny sharing a quiet romantic moment. For me, these were always the moments in Bond that got overshadowed by the action and the gadgets, and I wanted to bring attention back to Bond’s more romantic themes.
This piece would later become my From Russia With Love installment to the series, however it wasn’t until almost a year after the exhibition closed, that I was commissioned to expand on the series and create a piece for each of the Connery Bond movies.
As a long standing fan of artist Robert McGinnis’ work, and especially his iconic Bond posters, I found inspiration in the glamor and romance he brought to his vast portfolio of paperback covers. This was the original inspiration behind the series and when combined with my own innate tendencies to include lots of intricate detail, things really built from there.
We enlisted the talents of typography expert Jeff Barge and separations master Juan Saniose for each of the pieces and with this combination we really hit on something that resonated with people. Some people have compared the series to travel posters or vintage magazine covers which I really liked.
They have been so popular with collectors and Bond enthusiasts that I have now been asked to continue the series on past the Connery era, to include the other films in the Bond franchise, something I am really looking forward to doing in the near future.”