EXHIBITS

AD MEN Impatiently awaiting Sunday’s premiere of AMC’s Emmy-nominated drama “Mad Men”? After work, head to the New York Public Library’s Science, Industry and Business branch for “Real Men and Women of Madison Avenue,” a succinct, visual survey of the industry that inspired the Golden Globe Award-winning series. The exhibit revisits some of the most iconic advertising campaigns of the past 60 years — the Marlboro Man, M&Ms (“Melts in your mouth, not in your hand”), and the National Dairy Council (“Got milk?”) among them. Adjacent panels introduce the men and women whose names we know mostly because of the agencies which are their legacy; other creative giants, such as the legendary art director Helmut Krone, also get their due. Krone’s 1959 Volkswagen campaign (“Lemon”) was named the no. 1 campaign of the century by Advertising Age. An all-star reel of commercials features such classics as Michael Jackson’s 1984 Pepsi spot, Michael Jordan’s famous slam dunk for Nike, and Apple’s groundbreaking spot, “1984,” in which a blond runner hurls a sledgehammer discus-style at a large projection screen, disrupting the trancelike state of the audience. The ad is a pleasant reminder that at their best, commercials are 30- or 60-second stories packed with pathos: They can tug at your heartstrings or make you laugh out loud. Once you’ve made your way through the exhibit, join the crowd at the bustling mahogany bar at Artisanal (2 Park Ave. at 32nd Street, 212-725-8585), an ideal setting at which to rehash your favorite ad campaigns — or to speculate about the upcoming season of “Mad Men.” The bar offers more than 150 wines by the glass and one of the city’s best cheese plates. In fact, with 250 to choose from, the cheeses have their own menu organized first by animal source and then region. The pairing of vintages and cheeses invites lingering and has no doubt inspired many a creative premise.

Exhibit through Friday, September 26, Monday, Friday, and Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m., NYPL, Science, Industry and Business Library, 188 Madison Ave. at 34th Street, 212-592-7000, free.

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