Foster & Kleiser
Foster & Kleiser was an American advertising company founded in 1901 that grew into the "west coast's leading billboard company".[1][2] Among its notable employees was Maynard Dixon who credited his five years spent as a billboard painter at the company with helping prepare him as a muralist.[3] In the 1970s, many of the iconic billboards advertising new rock acts on Los Angeles' Sunset Strip were hand-painted by Foster & Kleiser artists, who worked from a "space the size of an airplane hangar".[4]
![](../I/m/Troop_B%2C_1st_Cavalry_Regiment%2C_Washington_National_Guard.jpg)
In 1952 Foster & Kleiser was purchased by W. R. Grace and Company.[5] Beginning in the 1980s, it would go through a number of name changes, sales, and acquisitions, becoming or being acquired by Metromedia, Patrick Media Group, Ackerley Group, and Eller Media.[6] In 1997, Eller Media was acquired by Clear Channel Outdoor.[1]
References
- Gerard, Alexis (2005). Going Visual: Using Images to Enhance Productivity, Decision-Making and Profits. John Wiley & Sons. p. 129. ISBN 0471731757.
- Finch, Christopher (2012). Chuck Close: Life. Prestel Verlag. p. 238. ISBN 3641083419.
- Hagerty, Donald (2010). The Life of Maynard Dixon. Gibbs Smith. p. 123. ISBN 1423603796.
- O'Neill, Claire (December 3, 2012). "A Brief History Of L.A.'s Billboard Art". NPR. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
- "Grace Co., Buys Foster, Kleiser". San Mateo Times. 17 October 1952. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
- International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 9. St. James Press. 1994. p. 138.