R.B. KITAJ The Ohio Gang, 1981

Original exhibition poster by R.B. Kitaj, titled The Ohio Gang, published in 1981. This striking poster takes its title from Kitaj’s celebrated 1981 portfolio of screenprints, which paid homage to a circle of artists, writers, and cultural figures associated with Ohio—including Kitaj himself, who spent formative years in Cleveland. The phrase “The Ohio Gang” originally comes from U.S. political history, referring to President Warren G. Harding’s inner circle of Ohio-based allies in the 1920s. Kitaj re-appropriated the term with irony and affection, using it to create a modern “gang” of his own: creative individuals who influenced his thinking and to whom he felt a personal or cultural connection.

The poster not only promotes the 1981 exhibition but also reflects Kitaj’s broader interest in memory, identity, and intellectual history. Stylistically, it captures his distinctive layering of text and image, bridging the personal and political with his characteristic intensity.