You've seen his posters and murals show by show, but come October you can catch a whole panoply of theatre artist Paul Davis' creations in one place. New York's School of Visual Arts' Visual Arts Museum will offer a retrospective of Davis' designs, Oct. 5-Nov. 11.

In conjunction with the display, Davis will receive the school's 12th annual Masters Series Award for creating "a significant body of work in his field."

Among Davis' most-recognizable images are the watercolor-style drawing of Christopher Plummer for Barrymore, the colorful look of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide... and the askew, hatted, cigar-smoking figure for The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

A 1986 USA Today profile quoted Joseph Papp saying, "Paul Davis has the ability to capture a real face but make it theatrical. I buy the originals from him because they are beautiful."

As a senior at Will Rogers High School, the Oklahoma-born Davis won a full scholarship to the School of Visual Arts. Since graduating in 1963, he's worked on more than 1,000 theatre posters, magazine covers and record album art. Past Masters Series Award winners have included Saul Bass, Milton Glaser and Mary Ellen Mark.

For information about the Davis exhibit at the Visual Arts Museum, 209 East 23rd St., call (212) 592-2010.

-- By David Lefkowitz