Graphic Design
Officers
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Chairman
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Administrator & Client Relations
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Nicholas D. Lowry
President, Principal Auctioneer
924899
Andrew M. Ansorge
Vice President & Controller
Alexandra Mann-Nelson
Chief Marketing Officer
2030704
Todd Weyman
Vice President & Director, Prints & Drawings
1214107
Nigel Freeman
Vice President & Director, African American Art
Rick Stattler
Vice President & Director, Books & Manuscripts
Administration
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Client Accounting
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European Secession & Art Nouveau
201
Lucian bernhard (1883-1972)
THUSNELDA MARGARINE. Circa 1910.
27½x18½ inches, 69¾x47 cm. Hollerbaum & Schmidt, Berlin.
Thusnelda Margarine "replaces the finest butter."
Condition B+ / A-: small tears and unobtrusive tape-repaired tears at edges; creases at edges and in image. Paper.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Ludwig hohlwein (1874-1949)
HERMANN SCHERRER. 1907.
38¼x26¼ inches, 97¾x67¼ cm. [Schön & Maison, Munich.]
An absolute masterpiece of modern graphic design, Hohlwein referred to this poster as “The man with the saddle.” The use of a subdued background serves to delineate the overall image from the checkered riding pants and scarlet waistcoat that Hohlwein constructed in a cut-out fashion, inventing a revolutionary style of illustration in the process. This image was so striking that it became an emblem of the company, which used it on catalogue covers and even on their clothing labels. When the German design magazine Gebrauchsgraphik dedicated an entire issue to Hohlwein, the artist drew a modernized version of the image, which shows just how important it was to Hohlwein himself. Hohlwein / Stuttgart 3 (var), Hohlwein / Munich p. 128 no. 101, DFP-III 1328, Modern Poster 56, Wember 406, Muller-Brockmann 59, Art Nouveau p. 237, Word and Image p. 43, Encyclopedie de l’Affiche p. 71, Rademacher pl 125.
Condition C: extensive repaired tears, creases and abrasions along vertical and horizontal folds; repaired tears at edges, one in upper image; losses, replaced losses, creases and abrasions in image; repaired pin holes in corners; margins removed. Mounted on Japan.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
Ludwig hohlwein (1874-1949)
WELTAUSSTELLUNG BRÜSSEL. 1910.
24x32½ inches, 61x82½ cm. Hollerbaum & Schmidt, Berlin.
When Hohlwein received the official commission to design the poster for Germany’s participation in the 1910 Brussels World’s Fair, he stuck with a very academic artistic inspiration. The straightforward image of a naked man astride a horse is executed in Hohlwein’s singular style with the unexpected additional flourish of the Brussels skyline, laid out across the bottom of the poster. Hohlwein 120, DFP-III 1363, Wember 416.
Condition B: repaired tears, creases and abrasions in margins and along vertical and horizontal folds; rippling in unevenly-trimmed margins. Mounted on Chartex.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Ludwig hohlwein (1874-1949)
MITTELMEER - FAHRTEN / NORDDEUTSCHER LLOYD BREMEN. 1913.
27x37¼ inches, 68½x94¼ cm. Ver Druck u. Kunstanstaleten, Munich.
DFP-III 1463, Hohlwein 122, Hohlwein / Stuttgart 108, Hohlwein / Frenzel 39.
Condition B: creases, rippling and scuffing in margins and image; darkening in right image; trimmed unevenly at edges. Mounted on Chartex.
Estimate
$2,500 – $3,500
Ludwig hohlwein (1874-1949)
HERRSCHING / KERAMISCHE WERKSTÄTTEN. 1910.
44x30¾ inches, 111¾x78 cm. G. Schuh, Munich.
From 1908 to 1914, the Munich-Herrsching Ceramic Works was a prominent producer of Jugendstil pottery. Hohlwein’s graphic still life with three vases is an exceptional design, in which the window is reflected in the vessels, an effect that Hohlwein achieves using the white of the paper. The bold image is further strengthened by the organization of the typography which is firmly aligned with the width of the image. Hohlwein / Stuttgart 32, Hohlwein / Munich p. 156, DFP-III 1364, MoMA 82.1990.
Condition B: repaired tears, sharp creases, flaking and rippling in margins; crease and abrasions in image. Mounted in Chartex.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Julius gipkens (1883-1969)
AUSSTELLUNG ALT - CHINA. 1911.
26x36 inches, 66x91¾ cm. Hollerbaum & Schmidt, Berlin.
A self-taught poster artist, Gipkens was extremely active both before and after World War I. This poster, architecturally composed and with impeccable typography, is one of the finest examples of what the pre-First World War German poster school could produce. DFP-III 1016.
Condition C: repaired tears, abrasions and extensive creases and rippling throughout; small losses at edges. Mounted on Chartex.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,000
Julius klinger (1876-1942)
BÜROMÖBEL / EDMUND BOEHM & CO. 1910.
28¼x35 inches, 71¾x89 cm. Hollerbaum & Schmidt, Berlin.
Klinger studied art in Vienna, and worked in Berlin for the printer and publisher Hollerbaum & Schmidt, as well as for the satiric magazine Lustige Blätter. He was a prolific, versatile and inventive graphic artist, recognized as one of the best German poster artists and illustrators working in pre-War Berlin. He was also an accomplished typographer, whose style ranged from the flat tones and strong outlining (popular in Germany at the time), to bold and daring graphic constructions and humorous caricatures, to strictly typographic pieces like this one. He was also an accomplished typographer, whose style ranged from the flat tones and strong outlining (popular in Germany at the time), to bold and daring graphic constructions and humorous caricatures, to strictly typographic pieces like this one. DFP-III 1717, Klinger p. 138.
Condition B+: minor repaired tears, abrasions and slight staining at edges; creases in margins and image. Mounted on Chartex.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Louis oppenheim (1879-1936)
DIE KORNFRANCK - TANTE. Circa 1908.
26¼x17¼ inches, 66¾x43¾ cm. [“Kornfranck” Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung, Berlin].
This image is so similar in style to the early work of Ludwig Hohlwein, involving solid planes of color, no outlining and a geometric pattern on the shawl, that it has frequently been misattributed to him. The product is corn coffee, produced by Heinrich Franck Sohne GmbH; the image of “the Kornfranck Aunt” is one of wholesome maternal comfort, suggesting that this ersatz coffee has connections to the traditions of the past. DFP-III 1431, Hohwlein / Stuttgart 433, Hohlwein / Munich 178-16, German Expressionist Art 33.
Condition B: repaired tears at edges; creases and abrasions at edges and in image; margins and printer’s information trimmed off. Mounted on Japan.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Karl schulpig (1884-1948)
W. HOFFMANN PIANOS. 1912.
27x18¼ inches, 68½x46¼ cm. Adolf Simmel, Berlin.
A painter and a poster designer, Schulpig was very active in Berlin. In 1905, when Lucian Bernhard invented the Object Poster, with his seminal image for Priester matches, he could not have foreseen how much his new style would influence an entire generation of poster artists. Bernhard’s poster for Steinway & Sons, in 1910 (see Swann Sale 2099, Lot 103), was a pure manifestation of this new style; a flat representation of the object, huge lettering and a monochromatic background. Schulpig’s cleanly-executed image can certainly be considered a “tribute” to Bernhard, neatly recreating the feeling of the poster, albeit with slightly more detail to the piano and more text. Schulpig was not the only artist to find “inspiration” in Bernhard’s piano imagery, as Julius Gipkens borrowed liberally from the style for his poster for Pianos Steck (see DFP-III 1044). Not in DFP, Muller-Brockman 131.
Condition B+: creases in image; margins slightly trimmed. Mounted on Chartex.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Walter schnackenberg (1880-1961)
KOSTÜME / PLAKATE UND DEKORATIONEN. Complete book. 1922.
13¼x10½ inches, 33½x26¾ cm. Musarion, Munich.
Introductory text by Oskar Bie, comprising 43 plates, beautifully colored in pochoir, some heightened in gold. This is the 2nd edition; the 1st was printed in 1920.
Condition B+: abrasions and scuffing to covers, foxing on back cover; spine reinforced inside, but separating in some places; slight scuffing on some plates.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Designer unknown
LEIPZIGER REKLAMEMESSE. 1920.
29¾x20½ inches, 75½x52 cm. Niedersedlitz, Dresden.
Condition A-: minor creases and abrasions at edges; hinged to mount. Paper. Framed.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Artúr lakatos (1880-1968)
PENSION GERÖ BUDAPEST LIPOTKORUT.
23¾x18½ inches, 60¼x47 cm. Lengyel Lipot, Budapest.
Condition B+ / A-: repaired tears in upper right corner, into image; minor creases and restoration at edges. Framed.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,000
Erwin puchinger (1875-1944)
WIENER KUNSTGEWERBE - VEREIN. 1912.
47½x34¾ inches, 120½x88¼ cm. Jacob Weiner, Vienna.
Erwin Puchinger was a Viennese artist, who was an influential participant in the Austrian Jugendstil and Gesamtkunstwerk circles. Both of these movements worked to meld fine art traditions with applied art and to standardize their tenets of design. Puchinger worked in London, Prague and Paris as well as Vienna. Classical Greek & Roman art and architecture, which were studied by his peers, also impacted Puchinger's aesthetic and is very much apparent in this poster for the Vienna Arts and Crafts Association.
Condition B: water staining in bottom left corner; repaired tears, creases and abrasions at edges, in image and along vertical and horizontal folds; small losses at edges. Mounted on Chartex.
Estimate
$2,500 – $3,500
Fritz zerritsch (1888-1985)
3HD INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF WOMEN / FOR PEACE AND FREEDOM. 1921.
37½x24¾ inches, 95¼x62¾ cm. J. Weiner, Vienna.
Condition B+: repaired tears, small replaced losses, creases and restoration in margins and along vertical and horizontal folds.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Hans neumann (1888-1960)
IBUS / BRIEF PAPIERE KUVERTS. Circa 1922.
49x36¾ inches, 124½x93¼ cm.
Condition B+: repaired tears at edges; restoration along vertical and horizontal folds and in image.
Provenance: From the Hans Sachs Collection, with collector's label on verso of linen.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,000
Lupus (hans wolff, 1892-?)
RIKOLA BÜCHER. 1924.
18½x23½ inches, 47x59½ cm.
Condition A: minor restoration at edges.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,000
Jan sluijters (1881-1957)
GEMÄLDE AUSSTELLUNG HOLLÄNDISCHER MEISTER. 1913.
41¼x27¼ inches, 104¾x69¼ cm. J.E. Wolfensberger, Zurich.
Dutch Poster 43.
Condition B+: reattached loss at upper right margin; small tears, repaired tears and creases at edges; archival tape on verso. Paper.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,000
Jan sluijters (1881-1957)
AVOND - FEEST CONCERTGEBOUW AMSTERDAM. 1915.
44¾x28 inches, 113½x71 cm. Senefelder, Amsterdam.
Condition B-: repaired tears, creases and flaking in margins; creases, abrasions and restoration in image and along vertical and horizontal folds; pin holes in corners; toned overall. Mounted on Chartex.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Swiss Designers
Emil cardinaux (1877-1936)
SCHWEIZERISCHE LANDESAUSSTELLUNG BERN. 1914.
33x24½ inches, 83¾x62¼ cm. [J.E. Wolfensberger, Zurich.]
Cardinaux studied painting with Franz von Stuck in Germany, and also worked in Paris before returning to Switzerland where he became one of the founding fathers of Swiss poster art. In 1908, his poster for Zermatt with its flat colors and broad outlining was a revolution in the Swiss graphic art world. This fauvist image of a yellow horseman astride a green horse, promoting a Swiss Exhibition, proved to be scandalous; it took a patriotic subject and treated it with such unrealistic color that the normally passive Swiss surprised everyone by rallying against it. Cardinaux 37, Plakat Kunst p. 70, Muller-Brockmann 66, Schweiz / Kulturelle 16, Schweiz / Plakat p. 32, Weill 203.
Condition B: tears and repaired tears at edges; creases, abrasions and restoration along vertical and horizontal folds; margins trimmed. Paper.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Charles hindenlang (1894-1960)
GEWERBE MUSEUM WEIHNACHTSVERKAUF. 1923.
50x35½ inches, 127x90¼ cm. W. Wassermann, Basel.
Condition A-: small tears and minor creases at edges. Paper.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Niklaus stoecklin (1896-1982)
DER BUCHDRUCK. 1922.
50x35¼ inches, 127x89½ cm. W. Wassermann, Basel.
Stoecklin p. 53, Modern Poster 115, Realisme 36, Avant Garde p. 132, Schweiz / Plakat p. 41, MoMA 455.1985.
Condition A: tears at edges; creases in margins and image; hinged to mount. Paper. Framed.
Estimate
$7,000 – $10,000
Niklaus stoecklin (1896-1982)
QUODLIBET MASKEN BALL / CASINO BASEL. 1929.
50x35¼ inches, 127x89½ cm. W. Wassermann, Basel.
Stoecklin p. 65.
Condition A-: creases in margins and image; hinged to mount. Paper. Framed.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,000
Otto baumberger (1889-1961)
KUNSTHAUS MASKENFEST / BAUR AU LAC. 1929.
50x35¼ inches, 127x89½ cm. Orell Füssli, Zurich.
Baumberger was one the most prolific Swiss graphic designers, and also one of the most versatile. His posters switched nimbly between minimal typographic creations, abstract and realistic landscapes, the near photographic representation of objects via the Neue Sachlichkeit and concise Art Deco designs. Baumberger 146.
Condition A-: creases in margins and along vertical and horizontal folds; hinged to mount. Paper. Framed.
Estimate
$2,500 – $3,500
Otto baumberger (1889-1961)
KUNSTHAUS - MASKENBALL / BAUR AU LAC. 1932.
50x35½ inches, 127x90¼ cm. Gebr. Fretz, Zurich.
Baumberger 170.
Condition A-: small tears at edges; creases at edges and in image; hinged to mount. Paper. Framed.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Otto baumberger (1889-1961)
ART. INSTITUT / ORELL FÜSSLI. 1928.
50x35½ inches, 127x90¼ cm. Orell Füssli, Zurich.
This typographic poster promotes the different services available from one of Zurich’s top printing houses. Baumberger 145, Realisme 37.
Condition A-: creases at edges and in image; hinged to mount. Paper. Framed.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Otto baumberger (1889-1961)
FORSTER TEIL AUSVERKAUF. 1928.
50¼x35½ inches, 127½x90¼ cm. J.C. Müller, Zurich.
In this poster for the Forster carpet firm, Baumberger uses geometric forms to represent "the end view of a roll of floor covering and the rectangle of a rug" (Swiss Graphic Design p. 58). MoMA 326.1984, Modern Poster 124, Swiss Graphic Design p. 58, Baumberger 136, Realisme 48, Made in Switzerland p. 54.
Condition B+: sharp creases at edges and in image; small tears and abrasions at edges; hinged to mount. Paper. Framed.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Otto baumberger (1889-1961)
FORSTER / TEIL - AUSVERKAUF. 1930.
50¼x35½ inches, 127½x90¼ cm. J.C. Müller, Zurich.
In this advertisement for Forster, for a sale of carpet remnants, Baumberger “adopted the cleanist Modernism. The rectangle defined by a heavy line, placed obliquely and cropped, is both an echo of Van Doesburg’s paintings of the same time and a precursor of the most minimal ‘Swiss’ Style of 30 years later” (Swiss Graphic Design, p. 35). Swiss Graphic Design p. 35, Baumberger 158, Realisme 46.
Condition A-: small tears and creases at edges; minor creases in image; hinged to mount. Paper. Framed.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Burkhard (dates unknown)
GRAFA / I. GRAPHISCHE FACHAUSSTELLUNG. 1933.
50¼x35¼ inches, 127x90¼ cm. J.C. Müller, Zurich.
MoMA 491.1983, Modern Poster 116.
Condition A-: small tears at edges; minor creases in image; hinged to mount. Paper. Framed.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Walter käch (1901-1970)
PLAKAT AUSSTELLUNG / KUNSTGEWERBEMUSEUM ZÜRICH. 1933.
50½x35¼ inches, 128¼x89½ cm. J.C. Müller, Zurich.
Swiss Graphic Design p. 63.
Condition B+: sharp creases at edges and in image; small tears at edges; slight foxing at right edge; hinged to mount. Paper. Framed.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Ernst keller (1891-1968)
DAS NEUE HEIM. 1928.
50¼x35¼ inches, 128¼x89½ cm. J.C. Müller, Zurich.
A key figure in Swiss graphic design and international typography, Ernst Keller taught at the Kunstgewerbe Schule in Zurich from 1918 until he retired in 1956, imparting his key tenets of simplicity and legibility to two generations of Swiss designers. Keller designed a version of this poster in 1926 (for an earlier exhibition), with the two primary colors inverted. Two years later, with the exhibition held in a different venue, he revamped the earlier design. Using bold, sans-serif typography, he organized the space to provide impeccable legibility. This poster served as a model for many designers who continued to use the same system for decades. Muller-Brockmann no. 139 (var), MoMA 877.1979.
Condition B+: repaired tears, creases and restoration at edges and along vertical and horizontal folds; replaced losses in margins, some slightly into image. Framed.
Provenance: From the collection of Albert Albano.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Ib andersen (1907-1969)
BYGGE OG BOLIG. 1929.
33x24½ inches, 83¾x62¼ cm. Chr. Cato, [Copenhagen.]
For an exhibition of “Construction and Housing,” Andersen shows us just that - a superb, architectural rendition of a room seen via a cut-away view. The artist’s familiarity with the Avant-Garde movements of Europe is clearly on display, both in the near-Bauhausian backdrop of a black and white cityscape and in the tribute to De Stijl in the primary colors of the buildings and sky. Danish 72.
Condition A-: minor repaired tears and creases at edges and in lower text. Framed.
Estimate
$3,500 – $5,000
Jerk werkmäster (1896-1978)
TEKNISKA MUSEET / MUSEIVAGEN. 1938.
32½x23½ inches, 82½x59¾ cm.
This poster for the The Swedish National Museum of Science and Technology (founded in 1923), was designed by Swedish artist, graphic artist and craftsman Jerk Werkmäster.
Condition B+: repaired tears and restoration at edges; creases in margins and image; time-staining in upper right corner; repaired pin holes in corners.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Geneviève lecornu (dates unknown)
GRAND PALAIS PARIS /5EME EXPOSITION DE L’HABITATION. 1938.
46½x30¼ inches, 118x76¾ cm. L’Architecture d’Aujourd’ Hui, Boulogne.
For the 15th exhibition of Household Arts and Modern Architecture, Lecornu presents the sleek white outline of a modern Bauhaus building against the orange outline of a traditional house.
Condition A-: minor repaired tears and slight foxing in margins.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Wim crouwel (1928-2019)
[ARCHITECTURE EXHIBITIONS]. Group of three posters.
Sizes vary, each approximately 31x22 inches, 78¾x55¾ cm.
Group includes: De Stijl / Van Doesburg (1983); Voorgeschiedenis (1983); and Architectuur Stedelijk (1959). Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Dada & Bauhaus
Designer unknown
TANZSTUDIO WULFF / NEUE BALLETTE. Circa 1932.
31¼x19½ inches, 79¼x49½ cm. Buchdruckerei Haupt, Basel.
Condition B+: small losses and darkening at edges; printed on thin paper.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Kurt schwitters (1887-1948) & theo van doesburg (1883-1931)
KLEINE DADA SOIRÉE. 1922.
11¾x11¾ inches, 30x30 cm.
Late in 1922, Schwitters and van Doesburg planned a small tour around the Netherlands with a traveling Dada show in order to introduce local artists to their work. The initial evening had been scheduled for December 27, but Schwitters had problems with his passport and the first show was delayed until January 10. In all, there were 17 separate performances in 8 different locations. The first event was held at the Haagsche Kunstkring in The Hague. The address of the venue is included in the poster’s upper right corner (“Haagsche K.K. Binnenhof 8”). For subsequent performances in other locations, the poster was slightly changed; this address was removed and a small plug for van Doesburg’s Dada magazine, Mécano, was added that read, “Abonnement Mécano F5 per Jaar.” Otherwise, the two versions of the poster are identical. The poster has the event program and Dada slogans presented in sophisticated disorder, using different hand drawn typography and varying font sizes. “The poster’s discordant appearance reflects the tenor of many Dada evenings” (moma.org/learn). Modern Poster p. 102 (var), Avant Garde p. 38, Berman p. 38, MoMA 178.1945 (var).
Condition A-: minor creasing in corners; small tear at left edge; errant pencil notation in lower left; horizontal fold. Paper.
Estimate
$8,000 – $12,000
Kurt schwitters (1887-1948) & theo van doesburg (1883-1931)
KLEINE DADA SOIRÉE. Proof. 1922.
11¾x11¾ inches, 30x30 cm.
This is the scarce version before the red plate.
Condition A- / B+: repaired tear in lower left image; small tears and creases at edges; pencil markings at left edge. Paper.
Estimate
$6,000 – $9,000
Walter dexel (1890-1973)
VERWENDE STETS NUR GAS. 1924.
20x26¼ inches, 50¾x66½ cm.
A painter, typographer, graphic designer and teacher, Dexel was appointed as the director of the Art Union in Jena, a central German university town. Closely associated with the Bauhaus, he became one of the most prominent practitioners of Constructivism. Here, promoting the use of gas [“Always use gas for cooking, baking, heating, lighting / because it is practical, clean, inexpensive / Saves work, time, money,”] one sees the confluence of art and commerce, wherein the most mundane of advertisements can be presented in an elevated manner. Dexel’s strict Constructivist style “used exclusively typography and abstract geometrical markers” (Avant Garde p. 64). He eschewed pictorial imagery for the “the use of ornament based entirely on the precise geometric forms of the rectangle and the circle, and the almost exclusive use of a geometrically based sans-serif type” (Word & Image p. 56). Dexel p. 56, Word & Image p. 64, Modern Poster p. 108, Avant Garde p. 152, Weill 250, Euro Deco p. 208, Berman / Juan March p. 193, MoMA 303.1937.
Condition A: mounted on artist board, tipped to mount. Framed.
Estimate
$20,000 – $30,000
Fritz kahn (1888-1968)
DER MENSCH ALS INDUSTRIEPALAST. Poster with 5 bound volumes. 1926.
37½x19 inches, 95¼x48¼ cm. Fricke & Co., Stuttgart.
Dr. Fritz Kahn was an Orthodox Jewish gynecologist in Berlin, who published popular illustrated books including The Cell and The Jews as a Race and Cultural People. In his books and articles, he “visualized the structure and function of the human body in a very unique way.” (http://www.fritz-kahn.com). This poster of The Human as Industrial Palace is exemplary of one of his conceptual designs, presenting a playful but instructive comparison between industrialism and anatomy, and elevating the traditional medical diagram into 20th century graphic design. When the Nazis took power, Kahn’s books were banned and publicly burned, and Kahn left Germany for Palestine and then the U.S., with the help of his friend Albert Einstein. While some of his works were translated into English, without the resources to produce new books, Kahn fell into obscurity. His innovative designs were still influential to future artists, and the first exhibition of his works, Fritz Kahn - Maschine Mensch, opened in Berlin in 2010 and featured this mechanical image.Includes the full poster, a second smaller poster, five bound volumes of Das Leben des Menschen” (The Life of Man, 1922-1931), additional foldouts & two pairs of 3D glasses. Images available upon request.
Condition A. Folded as issued. Paper.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Johannes molzahn (1892-1965)
WOHNUNG UND WERKRAUM. 1929.
23½x33 inches, 59¾x83¾ cm. Friedrichdruck, Breslau.
Molzahn was a painter, printmaker, graphic designer, theorist and teacher. Although he was never officially a member of the Bauhaus, his work did appear in the group’s third portfolio. In 1928, his seminal essay, “Stop Reading, Look!” hailed photography as the powerful new universal medium that would become a liberating means of communication. In 1929, he designed this and one other poster for an architectural and design exhibition in Breslau, Dwelling and Workplace. It is a tour-de-force of photomontage, typography and composition, in which all the elements of design and construction are represented. In 1938, Molzahn left Germany for America (seven of his artworks had been put on display in 1937 at the German Degenerate Art Exhibition). He taught at Moholy-Nagy’s School of Design in Chicago from 1943-1947 and returned to live in Germany in 1959. Rademacher p. 240, Modern Poster 106, Modernism 127, Kunst 320, Berman / Juan March p. 130, MoMA 346.1937.
Condition B+: repaired tears, creases and abrasions at edges and along vertical and horizontal folds; minor loss at top edge; pin holes in corners; colors attenuated. Mounted on Japan, tipped to mount. Framed.
Estimate
$15,000 – $20,000
Erwin hahs (1887-1970)
DEUTSCHE WOCHE DEUTSCHE ARBEIT DEUTSCHE WARE. Circa 1930s.
32¾x23¾ inches, 83x60¼ cm. Carl Warnecke, Halle.
A typographic image influenced by Herbert Bayer’s Bauhaus typeface, Bayer Universal (1925).
Condition B+ / A-: small repaired tears at edges; creases and abrasions at edges and along horizontal fold.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Alexander rodchenko (1891-1956)
[DOBROLET.] 1923.
13¾x17¾ inches, 35x45 cm.
Dobrolet, the Russian Society of Volunteer Air Fleet, was founded in 1923 as part of Lenin’s New Economic Policy, which allowed for a form of limited capitalism in certain large businesses. As a partially public company, it originally sold shares to Russian citizens. Rodchenko was employed to help market the company and went on to design posters and other advertising material for them. The text on this poster reads, “To All . . . If one is not a shareholder of Dobrolet, one is not a citizen of the USSR / One golden ruble makes everyone a shareholder of Dobrolet.” During the mid to late-1920s Rodchenko worked with Vladimir Mayakovsky on advertising campaigns for Mosselprom and GUM as well as Dobrolet. In the 1930s, the company lost its shareholder status and became part of the Soviet collective economy - as “Aeroflot.” Rodchenko, who was young and virtually unknown when he began his association with Dobrolet, used “simple geometric forms as the material for visual inventions and combinations . . . by means of pure geometric forms, all the shapes were transformed into symbolic patterns (signs), that could be visually simple and as clearly understandable as letters of the alphabet” (Rodchenko / Lufthansa p. 31). This poster was printed in four different color schemes, including red and black, red and green, green and black, and red and blue. Rodchenko 82, Modern Poster 133, Avant Garde p. 120 (var), Rodchenko / Lufthansa p. 68 (var), Aeroflot p. 17, Art and Power p. 161, MoMA 497.1987.
Condition A-: minor creases in margins; small tears at edges; color attenuated; tipped to mount. Paper. Framed.
Estimate
$20,000 – $30,000
El lissitzky (1890-1941)
WENDINGEN. Deluxe hardcover edition. Volume IV, Number 11. 1921.
13x12½ inches, 33x31¾ cm. De Hooge Brug, Amsterdam.
<QL Edited and with interior typography by H. Theodorus Wijdeveld. 16 photographic plates and 4 illustrations of Wright designs. This is from the Deluxe edition of 75 hardover issues in English (200 standard edition soft cover copies were published). This issue of the Dutch architectural journal Wendingen was dedicated entirely to the work of Frank Lloyd Wright. The text by H.P. Berlage is accompanied by numerous illustrations of the celebrated architect’s work and features one of El Lissitzky’s most famous Suprematist designs. MoMA 979.1983, The Russian Avant-Garde Book 146, Sweeney 143, Wendingen p. 122.
Condition B+: darkening, deep scratch and minor abrasions to front cover; boards unevenly toned; spine worn, with losses at ends, remaining paper partially re-glued; slight foxing on inside covers; bearing Lissitzky’s stamp in the lower right corner of front cover; original covers, re-strung with black thread. Prospectus in Dutch included inside.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Hand-Inscribed by Jan Tschichold to Czech architect Zdenek Rossmann in 1937.
244
El lissitzky (1890-1941)
PRO DVA KVADRATA. Book, inscribed by Tschichold. 1922.
11x8¾ inches, 28x22¼ cm. “Skythen,” Berlin.
A key figure of the Russian Avant Garde, Lithuanian Jewish artist Lissitzky was known for his typography, photography, architecture, and propaganda design, as well as his belief that artists could use their work to bring about change. He began his career as an illustrator of Yiddish children’s books. About Two Squares is Lissitzky’s children’s fable about a black square and a red square that fly to earth. Signifying the supremacy of the modern Soviet order (the red square) over the old and conventional (the black square), Lissitzky uses his signature abstract style, combining ideals of the Suprematists, like Malevich, with elements of the Constructivist movement that he favored. Book with seven letterpress illustrations (including cover). Page Design p. 160-1, Witkovsky pl. 12, MoMA 89.2001.
Condition B+: reinforced spine; color on cover attenuated. Pencil inscription on inside cover from Jan Tschichold to Czech architect Zdenek Rossmann, 1937.
Estimate
$8,000 – $12,000
El lissitzky (1890-1941)
[FOR THE VOICE]. Book. 1923.
7½x5¼ inches, 19x13¼ cm. Lutze & Vogt for the State Publishing House, Berlin.
A landmark work for the Russian avant-garde movement, “For the Voice” represents an important period in the development of Constructivist design by Lissitzky. The title, “Dlia Golosa” derives from Russian Futurist Mayakovsky’s 13 poems, which were meant to be read aloud. His innovative graphic design and typography are displayed in full force in this small book of 25 letterpress illustrations. “Lissitzky’s invention of a thumb-tab index for ease in finding each poem epitomizes the notion of the book as functional object.” Witovsky 37, MoMA 280.2001.1-25.
Condition B+: water staining and fading to covers; ink stamp on back cover; inside pages clean.
Estimate
$6,000 – $9,000
Herbert bayer (1900-1985) & laszlo moholy-nagy (1895-1946)
STAATLICHES BAUHAUS IN WEIMAR 1915-1923. Bound volume. 1923.
9¾x10 inches, 24¾x25½ cm. Bauhausverlag, Munich.
This is one of 2000 German-language versions, from a total edition of 2600. The last page reads: “This book was produced in an edition of 2600 copies, 2000 in German, 300 in English and 300 in Russian.” This first book published by the Bauhaus came out in conjunction with the 1923 Bauhaus exhibition and highlighted the accomplishments of the school to date. Numerous plates (several lithographed) and text illustrations by M. Breuer, K. Schwerdtfeger, W. Kandinsky, H. Bayer, P. Klee, L. Moholy-Nagy (who designed the book), and many others. A & O p. 67, Modernity p. 153, Aynsley p. 87, Page Design 244, Met 2001.392, Stedelijk KNA 11672, Central European p. 212.
Condition A-: minor wear along spine; slight toning inside.
Estimate
$5,000 – $7,500
"We do not speak a capital ‘A’ and a small ‘a.’ We need only a single alphabet." - Herbert Bayer
247
Herbert bayer (1900-1985)
UNIVERSAL TYPE / BREIT HALBFETT. Ink and gouache maquette. Circa 1925.
9¼x12½ inches, 23½x31¾ cm.
“In 1925, [Walter] Gropius commissioned Bayer to design a typeface for all Bauhaus communications . . . He used his approach to modern typography to create an ‘idealist typeface” (Designhistory.org). This hand-drawn and notated maquette appears to be the exact template used for the Universal Type image published in MoMA’s 1938 exhibition catalogue Bauhaus 1919-1928. The typeface displayed is captioned as “Universal type, characters at base show bold, medium and light weights, 1925. Improved 1928.”The rendering of this typeface (with the same spacing and formatting as this maquette) was also reprinted in PM Magazine, Vol. 6, No. 2, December 1939, an issue that was designed by and featuring Bayer. In the article about Universal Type, Bayer details his requirements for a new alphabet, including the “geometric foundation of each letter,” avoidance of hand-written elements, like up and down strokes, and varying thickness, and simplification of forms to the most basic. “Banishing diagonals wherever possible, he constructed characters such as “k” and “x” with circular segments in place of the expected angles” (Modernity p. 200). Perhaps most noticeable in this new alphabet, is the absence of capitalized letters. Two other ink and guache maquettes for Univeral lettering are in the collections of the Harvard Art Museum (Modernity p. 201).
Condition A-: ink, pencil and correction fluid on paper, affixed to artist board, with cracking and repairs on verso; Bayer’s handwritten notes in pencil as well as typewriter text insert at bottom; small holes in corners of board for hanging; dated 1925 on verso; hinged to mat. Matted and framed.
Estimate
$10,000 – $15,000
Herbert bayer (1900-1985)
DAS WEISSE FEST. Invitation. 1926.
8x11 inches, 20¼x28 cm. Bauhausdruck.
An invitation to “The White Party, the spring festival of the Bauhaus people on March 20, 1926, topping-out ceremony for the new Bauhaus building on March 21, 1926.” MoMA 541.1977.
Condition A. Paper. Matted and framed.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Herbert bayer (1900-1985)
EINLADUNG ZUM BART NASEN HERZENS FEST, DER BAUHAUSKAPELLE. Invitation. 1928.
6x16¼ inches, 15¼x41¼ cm, unfolded. Bauhausdruck.
An “invitation to the Bart Nasen Herzens Fest, the Bauhaus band.” MoMA 570.1977.
Condition A: vertical folds, as issued. Paper. Matted and framed.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Herbert bayer (1900-1985)
DIE NEUE LINIE / [BAYER COVERS.] Group of 5 issues. 1930s.
Each 14½x10½ inches, 36¾x26½ cm.
Group includes full issues for March 1933, September 1933, December 1934, February 1936 and May 1936. With- one detached Bayer cover, March 1937, and a two-page spread by the artist. Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A-.
Provenance: From the collection of Albert Albano.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Herbert bayer (1900-1985)
DIE NEUE LINIE / [BAYER COVERS.] Group of 5 issues. 1930s.
Each 14½x10½ inches, 36¾x26½ cm.
Group includes full issues for July 1936, March 1937, September 1937, January 1938 and August 1938. With- two detached Bayer covers, June 1934 and July 1935. Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A-.
Provenance: From the collection of Albert Albano.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Various artists
DIE NEUE LINIE. Group of 17 issues. 1933-1937.
Each 14½x10½ inches, 36¾x26½ cm.
Images available upon request.
Condition varies.
Provenance: From the collection of Albert Albano.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Various artists
DIE NEUE LINIE. Group of 14 issues. 1938-1943.
Each 14½x10½ inches, 36¾x26½ cm.
Images available upon request.
Condition varies.
Provenance: From the collection of Albert Albano.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Herbert bayer (1900-1985)
[GERMAN TRAVEL GUIDES.] Group of 7 books & pamphlets. 1930s.
Sizes vary.
Group includes: Deutsches Volk Deutsche Arbeit (1934); Das Schöne Begatal; Dörenschlucht-Lippe; Nordlippisches Bergland; Deutschland Ausstellung (1936); Tempo-Parallelschwung (1936); and Spuren Zum Kampf (1936). Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A- / B+.
Provenance: From the collection of Albert Albano.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Herbert bayer (1900-1985)
DIE KAMERA / AUSSTELLUNG FÜR FOTOGRAFIE. Catalogue. 1933.
8¼x5¾ inches, 21x14½ cm.
Condition B+ / A-: abrasions, minor foxing and wear to covers.
Provenance: From the collection of Albert Albano.
Estimate
$300 – $400
Herbert bayer (1900-1985)
G.E. / ELECTRONICS - A NEW SCIENCE FOR A NEW WORLD. Booklet. 1942.
8¼x11 inches, 21x28 cm. General Electric Company, New York.
A fabulous and startling piece of Modernist design, this booklet was commissioned from Herbert Bayer by Leo Lionni, the art director of N.W. Ayers at the time. Filled with powerful photomontages, color illustrations, dynamic layout and diagrams, the imagery here combines with the text to form a sort of science fiction narrative applied to the real world. Within its pages, the electron is explained and FM radio is promoted, as well as the nascent technology for television. The use of electricity to aid in public safety, agriculture and medicine is also illustrated. MoMA 561.1999.
Condition A-: minor abrasions and creasing to covers; original stapled illustrated wrappers designed by Bayer.
Provenance: From the collection of Albert Albano.