Graphic Design
Officers
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President, Principal Auctioneer
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Associate Director
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Administrator & Client Relations
jdecandia@swanngalleries.com
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George S. Lowry
Chairman
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
Andrew M. Ansorge
Vice President & Controller
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Client Accounting
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Operations Manager
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Communications Manager
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Secession & Art Nouveau
E.s. pierce (dates unknown)
THE BOSTONIAN / FEBRUARY. Circa 1895.
14x11¾ inches, 35½x29¾ cm.
The Bostonian magazine was founded in 1894, and re-named The National Magazine in 1896 "to reflect its expanded coverage of American topics and letters. It became the leading national journal of American life and Washington affairs before the rise of Time and Life magazines in the 1920s and 1930s. The earliest issues from 1894-1896 featured articles on the Boston theater, music, women's clubs, and general arts and letters" (www. betweenthecovers.com). Kiehl 227, The Met 1986.1005.11.
Condition A: minor expert restoration at edges and along unobtrusive horizontal fold.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Claude fayette bragdon (1866-1946)
THE CHAP BOOK. Circa 1895.
21¼x13½ inches, 54x34¼ cm. Stone & Kimball, Chicago.
Bragdon, like many of the early Art Nouveau artists, was trained as an architect, but worked in all the fields of decorative arts. In all, he designed three posters for the Chap Book magazine, this being the last. Whereas Bragdon’s first two posters are very turn-of-the-century in style, this one clearly heralds a new era in design, presaging Art Deco by almost 30 years. Although copies of this poster can be found in the Library of Congress and the University of Rochester library, it scarcely appears at auction and never with such strong, original color. Rare. DFP-I 184, Reims 1152, Bragdon fig. 29, Margolin p. 112, not in Kiehl.
Condition A-: small repaired tears and minor creases at edges; paper insert in lower text.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Franz von stück (1863-1928)
INTERNATIONALE KUNST - AUSSTELLUNG / (SECESSION). Circa 1896.
31½x15 inches, 80x38 cm. Wolf und Sohn, Munich.
In 1893, Von Stück officially co-founded the Münich Secession movement, and used an image of the head of Athena on a poster advertising the group's first international exhibition. He had initially painted the image in 1891, and when he adapted it for use with the Secession movement, it was so well received that the image was used on subsequent posters to advertise the group's exhibitions, becoming their de facto emblem. It eventually appeared without its mosaic background, and we have found some variations from as late as 1921. Rademacher considers the image to be "the first modern artistic German poster" (Rademacher p. 58). This early version advertises the Munich Secession Exhibitions at the original Prinz-Regenten-Strasse address before they were moved to the Königsplatz around 1897-8. Another more commonly-seen version shows the new location, the Kunstausstellungsgebäude (opposite the Glyptotek), pictured on the bottom of the poster. This rare variant includes the tram directions and ticket prices on the Red Line to get to the exhibition.
Wember 745, DFP-III 3213, Reims 1114, Rademacher p. 59, Zeitzieger p. 95 (all var).
Condition A-: minor creases in margins and along horizontal fold. With Albertina Museum ink stamp and pencil accession number at bottom left. Mounted on thin linen. Framed.
Estimate
$5,000 – $7,500
Ephraim moses lilien (1874-1925)
BERLINER TAGEBLATT. Circa 1899.
55½x36¾ inches, 141x93¼ cm. C.L. Keller, Berlin.
Born in Galicia, Austria, and an art student in Germany, Lilien is considered "the first artist of the Zionist Movement . . . [he was] actively involved over a period of years with the Zionist Movement, and served as representative to the Sixth Zionist Congress. He was one of the founders of the Judischer Verlag, the Jewish publishing company in Berlin whose publications propagated the artistic and literary output of the Jewish Renaissance. He also took part in establishing the Bezalel School of Art in Jerusalem" (Haim Finkelstein, Lilien and Zionism).
A master of Jugendstil design, Lilien was a book illustrator, etcher and graphic designer. He designed this poster for Rudolf Mosse, the publisher of the newspaper whose initials appear on the crest being held by the two central figures. An active participant in the Jewish artistic scene and Renaissance in Berlin between 1890-1918, Lilien was one of the Modernists celebrated in the exhibition Berlin Metropolis: Jews and the New Culture, 1890-1918 at the Jewish Museum in New York, 1999. This rare poster is a masterwork of Secession stylization and design. We have only found two other examples at auction in the last 20 years. DFP-III 2017.
Condition A-: minor restoration at edges, along vertical and horizontal folds, and seam; slight, unobtrusive time-staining in lower image; repaired pin holes in corners. Two-sheets.
Estimate
$12,000 – $18,000
Paul otto rössler (1873-1957) & gottlob gottfried klemm (1872-?)
INTER - NATIONALE KUNSTAUSSTELLUNG DRESDEN. 1901.
38¾x25¾ inches, 98½x65½ cm. Niedersedlitz, Dresden.
Rössler, primarily a Leipzig and Dresden-based specialist in decorative painting, and Klemm who worked in the same field, joined forces to create this Jugendstil image with Secessionist accents. The swirly border and typography are clearly Jugendstil. The central figure, although academically rendered and highly symbolic, is treated in a modern and daring way - in flashy orange, with a boldness and simplicity that bespeak Secessionist themes. DFP-III 2720, Kunst-Ereignisse cover and plate 20, Wember, p. 108.
Condition A-: minor creases in margins and image; minor abrasions and small stains in image; hand-signed in ink by the artists. Framed.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Thomas theodor heine (1867-1948)
WEITE WELT. 1901.
27¾x36½ inches, 70½x92¾ cm. A. Schuler, Stuttgart.
Professor Joseph Popp, writing about Pioneers of German Poster Art for Das Plakat’s September 1917 issue, explains that while Heine’s style draws from “both Japanese art and the work of Aubrey Beardsley, that he developed his own style, which goes back and forth between naive and refined simplicity, while occasionally taking other directions, without having any specific role model” (Das Plakat, September 1, 1917 p. 265). This pose of a reclining woman reading a magazine was somewhat of a graphic meme at the time, with similar tableaux appearing in Pel & Ploma, by Ramon Casas in 1899, and Lesen Sie, by Kolomon Moser in 1900. DFP-III 1217, Kunst im Alltag 201, Chemnitz 51.
Condition B / B+: repaired tears from side margins into image; repaired tears, restored losses, creases and restoration in margins; creases and restoration along vertical and horizontal folds.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Wilhelm schulz (1865-1952)
BERLINER SECESSION. 1902.
27½x36½ inches, 69¾x92¾ cm. M. Fischer, Berlin.
DFP-III 3051, Fruhe Berliner 862, Chemnitz 445.
Condition A- / B+: minor repaired tears, creases and abrasions along vertical and horizontal folds. Framed.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Lucian bernhard (1883-1972)
“CASTELL” / A.W. FABER. 1908.
11¾x17¼ inches, 29¾x43¾ cm.
In 1906, at the age of 23, Lucian Bernhard won a poster design competition sponsored by Priester matches. Ernst Growald, the director of the Berlin printing establishment Hollerbaum & Schmidt, recognized his talent and immediately hired Bernhard. The young artist quickly developed a graphic design system that proved to be revolutionary in the advertising world. Bernhard was the father of the Sachsplakat (Object Poster), a style in which the object is depicted in flat colors, with no ornamentation and no shadow, against a monochromatic background with very large, bold typography. This rare design for A.W. Faber pencils (the first brand name pencil) epitomizes this style.
Condition B+: small tears and abrasions at edges; creases in image; minor scuffing at bottom; small metal grommets at top edge; cardboard strips along top and bottom on verso. Paper.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,000
Ludwig hohlwein (1874-1949)
MAX ZECHBAUER. 1909.
49½x36½ inches, 125¾x92¾ cm. Graphia, Munich.
For this cigar and cigarette merchant, Hohlwein has rejected the clichéd visual motif of the “elegant man smoking.” Instead, he takes a bold, dramatic approach and depicts Christopher Columbus holding one of his ships, symbolizing that by discovering America, Columbus enabled tobacco to be brought back to Europe. DFP-III, 1355, Hohlwein / Stuttgart 24, Wember 413.
Condition B+: repaired tears, creases, abrasions and restoration along vertical and horizontal folds and in margins and image.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Ludwig hohlwein (1874-1949)
BURGER - KEHL & CO / MARKE PKZ. 1911.
50¾x34¾ inches, 129x88¼ cm. Wolfensberger, Zurich.
One of three posters Hohlwein designed for the Swiss men’s store PKZ. He most likely received these commissions as a result of some of his earliest posters that promoted sport clothing sold by Munich’s Hermann Scherrer. This version features an unusual overprint of the store’s address. DFP-III 1396 (var), Plakat Schweiz p. 15 (var), not in Hohlwein / Stuttgart.
Condition B+: repaired tears, foxing and discoloration in margins; creases and minor abrasions in image; light tape stain at top edge. Mounted on Japan.
Estimate
$5,000 – $7,500
Ludwig hohlwein (1874-1949)
PFAFF. 1912.
48½x30¼ inches, 123¼x76¾ cm.
This is the larger format. DFP-III 1422, Hohlwein / Stuttgart 61.
Condition A-: minor repaired tears in margins; minor creases and restoration at edges and in image; repaired pin holes in top corners.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Ludwig hohlwein (1874-1949)
INTERNATIONALE EINFUHR - MESSE. 1919.
35¼x23½ inches, 90x59¾ cm. Wüsten & Co., Frankfurt.
To promote the first International Import Fair held in Frankfurt after World War I, Hohlwein renders a spectacular nighttime scene. A train, dramatically seen from below, crosses a bridge and drops flyers that are, in fact, flags of the different countries participating in the fair. Hohlwein uses the white of the paper to make the text and several of the flyers ingeniously stand out from the dark coloration of the poster. This is the larger version. Hohlwein / Munich 235, Hohlwein / Stuttgart 176, Hohlwein pl. 97, Zwanziger Jahre p. 23.
Condition A.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,000
Ludwig hohlwein (1874-1949)
RIQUET - TEE. Circa 1925.
43½x29¾ inches, 110½x75½ cm. Emil Gerasch, Leipzig.
Riquet, purveyors of exotic chocolates and teas, was one of Hohlwein’s biggest clients. In the many posters he designed for the firm, he would always strive to depict exotic images connected to the countries from which the products were imported. Here, against a sharp yellow background, in front of an unusual blue plant, he represents a statue of Buddha. The image is infused with drama thanks to the lighting that Hohlwein creates using his unique strokes-of-color treatment. Rare. Hohlwein / Stuttgart 188.
Condition B+: repaired tears at edges, some slightly into image; replaced losses in right margin; restoration along vertical and horizontal folds.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Johann baptist maier (1881-1957)
REICHHOLD U. LANG. Circa 1913.
57x44 inches, 144¾x111¾ cm. Reichhold & Lang, Munich.
Condition B+: expert overpainting and restoration in margins; minor creases and restoration along vertical and horizontal folds.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Erich waschneck (dates unknown)
INTERNATIONAL BUILDING EXHIBITION. 1913.
35¾x24½ inches, 91x62 cm. C.D. Naumann G.M.B.H., Leipzig.
A simple and effective way to advertise a building exhibition. The designer, who may well have been an architect, employs a simplistic Object Poster technique, presenting a column against a dark background. A tribute to its success is that after being designed and issued in 1911 (in German), it was reissued for a subsequent exhibition in 1913 in both English and German. DFP-III 3351 (var. b).
Condition B+: minor repaired tears at edges; horizontal crease through upper image.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Various artists
DAS PLAKAT. Set of 10 hardcover volumes. 1912-1921.
Sizes vary, each approximately 11½x9½ inches, 29¼x24 cm.
Founded in 1905 by Hans Sachs (a dentist in Berlin), the Verein der Plakat Freunde (Association of Friends of the Poster) began publishing Das Plakat (The Poster) in 1910. The publication, printed in German, ran through 1922 and its influence cannot be understated. Each issue is a treasure trove of information, and includes many color reproductions and tipped-in illustrations. Its publication was not continuous, and was slightly irregular, interrupted by the First World War, but we believe this to be one of the most complete sets of this leading and important journal. Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally B+ / A-: some pages and tip-ins missing or loose; certain volumes with edge-wear and staining. Each bound, some in Lucian Bernhard covers.
Estimate
$25,000 – $35,000
Henry clemens van de velde (1863-1957)
TROPON. 1898.
14¼x10½ inches, 36x26½ cm.
From Pan magazine, this is the smaller format, German version. From an edition of 1100. Wember 777b (var), Word & Image p. 39, Weill 98, Rademacher p. 68 (var), Modern Poster p. 19, DFP-II 1134, Muller-Brockmann 49 (var).
Condition A-: toned in image; slight time-staining at edges; printer’s creases in image; paper remnants on verso along edge. Paper.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Jan toorop (1858-1928) & hendrik petrus. berlage (1856-1934)
[DUTCH COVER DESIGN]. Group of 3 hardcover books. Circa 1900.
Sizes vary, each approximately 8½x6¾ inches, 21½x17 cm. L.J. Veen, Amsterdam.
With - August 1902 issue of Deutsche Kunst Und Dekoration, with Toorop cover. Group includes: Babel (1901) & God en Goden (1903), covers by Toorop; and Hooge Troeven (1896), cover by Berlage. Books all written by Louis Couperus. Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally B+: minor wear and abrasions to covers; slight staining and foxing inside.
Estimate
$300 – $400
Adolfo hohenstein (1854-1928)
“PRIMAVERA” VEGLIONE DELLA FAMIGLIA ARTISTICA. 1898.
112x18½ inches, 284½x47 cm. G. Ricordi & C., Milan.
Born in Russia to German parents, Hohenstein studied art in Vienna before settling in Milan. He began working with Ricordi, the great Italian publishing company in 1889, designing sheet music covers for operas. Shortly thereafter, he became Art Director of the firm and began to design posters himself. Working for him at Ricordi were among the most famous Italian poster artists of the era, such as Dudovich, Mauzan and Metlicovitz, whose posters reflect Hohenstein's influence as one of the masters of the Golden Age of Italian posters, "from obvious stylistic floral influences of French Art Nouveau and the German Jugendstil" (Manifesti Italiano, p. 114).
Hohenstein was invited to work outside of Italy, in France as well as Belgium, where he designed at least two posters printed by the Belgian printing house J.L. Goffart. The Liberty Style at the turn of the century was triumphant in Italy, while the fascination for posters had begun to wane in France. This playful image advertises one of the Milan Carnivals that were fashionable in the late nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century, usually a week or so after the Venice Carnival in February or March. Many of these balls and celebrations were organized by municipal organizations or the "Milanese artistic family" - this one at the Teatro Lirico. A rare poster, in an unusual narrow format; another copy can be found in the Collezione Salce of the Museo Nationale in Treviso. Not in Ricordi.
Condition B: replaced losses, repaired tears, creases and overpainting along seams and horizontal folds. Four-sheets. Framed.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Adolfo hohenstein (1854-1928)
ESPOSIZIONE D’IGIENE / NAPOLI. 1900.
94½x47½ inches, 247½x120½ cm. G. Ricordi & C., Milan.
Hohenstein designed this monumental and beautifully ornate poster for the National Hygiene Exhibition in Naples. Touting the benefits of fresh air and water, Hohenstein illustrates a "Fountain of Life," being enjoyed by a Classically-styled nude family, with a peacock at their side. Set off by gold ink background, florals and undulating decorative frames, the rich blue ink of the poster further emphasizes the element of water. The swirling lines separating the text from image are reminiscent of the artist's poster of the same year for Monte Carlo / Tir Aux Pigeons (see Swann sale 2467, Lot 222). The small, later version of this large-scale poster was printed in the commemorative Ricordi portfolio in 1914. Ricordi 161, Manifesti p. 60.
Condition B: extensive overpainting in margins; repaired tears, creases and overpainting in image and along vertical and horizontal folds. Three-sheets. Framed.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
Carl otto czeschka (1878-1960)
DIE NIBELUNGEN DEM DEUTSCHEN VOLKE. Book. Circa 1908.
5½x6 inches, 14x15¼ cm. Gerlach & Wiedling, Vienna and Leipzig.
Features 8 double-page color illustrations heightened with gold and several small black-and-white vignettes, initials, head- and tailpieces throughout. Number 22 in the series Gerlach’s Jugendbucherei.
Condition A: very minor wear to covers; linen binding with black embossing on the front cover and the spine. Blue and white patterned endpaper.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Swiss Art Deco & New Objectivity
Ferdinand hodler (1853-1918)
KUNSTHAUS ZÜRICH / FERDINAND HODLER. 1917.
52x36 inches, 132x91½ cm. J.E. Wolfensberger, Zurich.
Rare. MoMA 490.1951.
Condition B: replaced losses in margins, some into image; repaired tear at top edge, into center image; creases in margins and image; repaired pin holes in corners. Framed.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Albert-sébastian oesch (1893-1920)
SCHUH - WAREN. Circa 1920.
28¾x33½ inches, 73x85 cm. G. Tanner, Zurich.
Realismes 5.
Condition A- / B+: replaced upper right corner; repaired pin holes in corners.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Otto morach (1887-1973)
GEHE IM BALLY SCHUH. 1928.
50x36½ inches, 127x92¾ cm. Klausfelder, Vevey.
Morach trained as a schoolteacher before studying painting in Bern. He went on to study in Paris, Munich, Dresden and Berlin. Back in Switzerland, he joined the Dadaists, Janco, Arp and Picabia exhibiting in the group Das Neue Leben. In addition to his painting, he was also a pioneer of work for puppet theaters with Sophie Taeuber-Arp. He designed fewer than ten posters, each with a decidedly modernist approach. His sense of style, with its Art Deco, Cubist and Bauhaus influence, permeates his posters as well as his paintings and puppet design. L’Affiche Art Deco p. 274 (var).
Condition B+: replaced loss in upper left corner; repaired tears at edges, some into image; minor creases and abrasions at edges and in image.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Otto baumberger (1889-1961)
MARQUE PKZ. 1923.
50x35¾ inches, 127x90¾ cm. Wolfsberg, Zurich.
Baumberger was one of the most prolific Swiss poster artists, with well over 200 designs to his credit. Beginning in 1917, he regularly worked for PKZ, during which time he became close friends with (and advisor to) Emil Huber, PKZ’s advertising director. This poster is not only the best he produced for the company, but is also an icon in poster history. The tweed coat is rendered in near-photographic perfection to the point where you can practically feel the fabric. Baumberger took a completely new approach to advertising by ingeniously incorporating the poster’s text into the image in the form of the label in the coat. With this poster, Baumberger cemented his role as master of the “Object Poster” (a title he earned four years earlier with a classic image of a top hat), and began the trend of “New Objectivity” within the Swiss school of Graphic Design. A sensation from the day it was issued, this image remains compelling and proves to be one of the finest PKZ posters. Avant Garde p. 114, Modern Poster 188, Weill 439, Realismes 19, The Poster 156, Design Graphique 77, Mechanical Age pl. 44, Muller-Brockmann 137, Swiss Graphic Design p. 29.
Condition A-: small replaced loss at top margin; minor repaired tears at edges. Framed.
Estimate
$3,500 – $4,500
Charles hindenlang (1894-1960)
GEWERBE MUSEUM WEIHNACHTSVERKAUF. 1923.
50x35½ inches, 127x90¼ cm. W. Wassermann, Basel.
Hindenlang studied at the school of Arts & Crafts in his native Basel. He primarily painted frescoes in a style that was highly influenced by Cubism, and he only designed a small handful of posters.
Condition A-: small tears and minor creases at edges. Paper.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Hugo laubi (1888-1959)
CORNETTO. 1932.
49¾x34¾ inches, 126¾x88¼ cm. Gebr. Fretz, Zurich.
An appealing combination of the traditional Swiss Object poster with Art Deco illustration. Although the viewer can’t see the face of the man shown smoking his pipe, his contentment is palpable. Laubi was Art Director at the Fretz Brothers printing house, in which capacity he designed over sixty posters.
Condition B+: small replaced loss in lower right corner; minor repaired tears and creases at edges; water stain in upper left corner; minor creases and slight foxing in image. Mounted on Japan.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Hugo laubi (1888-1959)
CORNETTO. Circa 1934.
49¾x35 inches, 126¼x89 cm. Soll A.G., Zurich.
Condition B+: small tears, repaired tears and creases at edges; small hole in upper right image; tape on verso; minor creases in image. Paper.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Hugo laubi (1888-1959)
CORNETTO. Circa 1934.
49¾x34¾ inches, 126¼x101 cm. Soll A.G., Zurich.
Condition B+: small tears and repaired tears at edges; horizontal creases and light foxing in image; tape on verso. Paper.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Peter birkhäuser (1911-1976)
SÄNGERFEST / BASEL. 1935.
48½x35½ inches, 123¼x90¼ cm. Wassermann & Co., Basel.
Peter Birkhäuser studied at the Decorative Arts School in Basel and apprenticed in Stoecklin’s studio before setting out on his own as a poster designer. He became one of Switzerland’s most accomplished “New Objectivity” artists, designing posters for brands such as PKZ, Globus, Rheinbrucke and Bata. In a twist of irony and shift in mid-life creative interests, Birkauser moved on from his signature realistic object design to a new fascination with illustrating images from thousands of his dreams. His friendship and mentorship with Carl Jung led to a less popularly-received late-career oeuvre of psychoanalyzed dreamscape paintings.
Condition B: tape-staining and small losses in small margins; top margin trimmed off; replaced losses at top edge; repaired tears, creases, abrasions and restoration at edges and along vertical and horizontal folds; repaired pin holes in corners. Mounted on Japan.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Niklaus stoecklin (1896-1982)
EISENWERK CLUS / TRANSMISSIONEN. 1925.
50½x35½ inches, 128¼x90¼ cm. W. Wassermann, Basel.
“This Object Poster for Basel’s Petitjean supply house and its selection of Clus Ironworks transmission parts carries an educational benefit: although most people might not have been able to identify transmission parts prior to viewing this poster, Stoecklin’s unembellished artwork gives them a bit of knowledge. The Clus (or Klus) Ironworks was located in the north-central Swiss municipality of Balsthal. It manufactored not only transmissions for mills and railways but also an array of products for the military” (Crouse p. 98). Crouse p. 98, Stoecklin 42.
Condition A- / A: minor repaired tears at edges; minor creases in margins and image.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Niklaus stoecklin (1896-1982)
SCHWEIZERISCHE STÄDTEBAU - AÜSSTELLUNG ZÜRICH. 1928.
50½x35½ inches, 128¼x90¼ cm. Gebr. Fretz, Zurich.
One of the founding fathers of the Swiss poster school, Stoecklin played with geometry, surrealism and hyper-surrealism throughout his career, always with great success. This exemplary 1928 poster for a construction exhibition plays with the letter Z (as in Zurich), turning it into a row of buildings with the title cleverly arranged on the blue rooftops. This strict geometric approach parallels the subject, making for a bold and powerful image. Rare. We could find only two other examples at auction in the last 20 years. Stoecklin p. 56, Zeitzieger p. 202.
Condition A-: minor repaired tears and creases in margins; unobtrusive pin holes in corners. Mounted on Japan. Framed.
Estimate
$2,500 – $3,500
Niklaus stoecklin (1896-1982)
VALVO. 1931.
50¼x35½ inches, 127½x90¼ cm. W. Wassermann, Basel.
After designing images in a geometric Art Deco style (Gaba, 1927) and toying with Surrealism (PKZ, 1934), Stoecklin turned towards Neue Sachlichkeit, or the New Objectivity. In this style, not only were products rendered in a hyper-realistic manner, without abstraction or interpretation, but lithographic techniques were also used at an elevated and precise level, allowing for clearer, crisper printing than ever before. One of Stoecklin’s earliest examples New Objectivity, in which he presents “ordinary, if overlooked, item[s] elevated to extraordinary status - the tetrode tube, which was used in high-frequency radios. The approach is both grandiose and humorous, and Stoecklin executes the design masterfully” (Crouse p. 61). Another text variant has no additional text below the title. Rare. Stoecklin 66, Crouse p. 80, Realismes 22, Swiss Graphic Design p. 75.
Condition B+: minor staining in bottom margin, slightly into text; repaired tears in margins, some into upper image; minor creases in margins.
Estimate
$7,000 – $10,000
Niklaus stoecklin (1896-1982)
BINACA. 1941.
48x33¾ inches, 122x85¾ cm. Wassermann, Basel.
Stoecklin was clearly a master of New Objectivity (perfecting the style with this and his poster for Meta briquettes, see lot 36). This is the German version. Stoecklin 32, Realismes 76 (var), Margadant 428, Swiss Poster Art 41.24, Design Graphique p. 59, Encyclopedie de l’Affiche p. 98, Magic of Things 40, MoMA 313.1999.
Condition A-: minor repaired tears and restoration at edges; unobtrusive horizontal fold. Matted and framed.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
Niklaus stoecklin (1896-1982)
BI - ORO / SONNENSCHUTZ. 1941.
48x33¾ inches, 122x85¾ cm. Wassermann, Basel.
This is the German version. Stoecklin p. 35, Realismes 77, Le Coultre p. 303, Schweiz p. 161 (all var).
Condition A. Matted and framed.
Estimate
$3,500 – $4,500
Niklaus stoecklin (1896-1982)
META. 1941.
50x35½ inches, 127x90¼ cm. Wassermann, Basel.
For this image promoting easy to light, small charcoal briquettes for heating, one is immediately reminded of Lucian Bernhard’s influential 1906 Object Poster for Priester matches. Stoecklin takes the realism even further, with near photographic perfection as he even depicts the splintering of the wood along the matchstick itself. Stoecklin p. 34, Swiss Poster Art 41.6, Margadant 409, Realismes 78, Magic of Things 6.
Condition A- / A: small tears and creases at edges. Mounted on Japan. Framed.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Willem sandberg (1897-1984)
VANK / TENTOONSTELLING BINNENHUISKUNST. 1933.
34½x25¾ inches, 87¾x65½ cm. Ahrend & Zoon, Amsterdam.
In his youth, Sandberg was influenced both by the Bauhaus and Otto Neurath’s Isoptype system. He began working for the Stedelijk Museum in 1928, and became part of the Dutch resistance during the Second World War. His pre-war posters are more structured and in keeping with European design tenets, such as from the Bauhaus, with sensible, straightforward typography that is less creative than it became after the war. Stedelijk SA 00207.
Condition B+: repaired tears at edges; abrasion in upper right image above text. creases in margins and image; pin holes in upper corners. Matted.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Postma (dates unknown)
DE KOOPMAN VAN VENETIE.
42½x30 inches, 108x76¼ cm. Luii & Co., Amsterdam.
A graphic Dutch poster for The Merchant of Venice. Rare.
Condition A-: expert overpainting and restoration in margins and along horizontal folds.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Samuel schwarz (1876-1942)
TROTZKI MYN LEVEN. 1930.
34½x20¾ inches, 87½x52¾ cm. N.V. Uitgeversmij, Em. Querido, Amsterdam.
A Jewish artist who perished in Auschwitz, Schwarz was part of the Bergen School of painters whose characteristic stylizations of Cubism and Expressionism found their way into the artist’s graphic work. Here, for the Dutch publication of Leon Trotsky’s 1930 autobiography, Schwarz synthesizes his own style with the precepts of the prevailing Russian political posters, and creates one of his most dynamic and powerful images. Modern Dutch 84.
Condition B+: replaced losses, overpainting, repaired tears and creases at edges; repaired pin holes and restoration over tape marks in corners.
Estimate
$2,500 – $3,500
Russian Political & Constructivist
Designer unknown
[MEYERHOLD THEATER / THE FOREST]. Circa 1925.
35x25¾ inches, 89x65½ cm. Mospoligraf, Moscow.
Vsevolod Meyerhold was known as a prominent actor and director at his self-named theater in Moscow between 1923 and 1938. A visionary director who was revolutionary in his style, Meyerhold pioneered the concept of biomechanics: "Its purpose was to widen the emotional potential of a theater piece and express thoughts and ideas that could not be easily presented through the naturalistic theater of the period" (Wikipedia).
In a collection of articles published in 1926 by the Meyerhold Theatre, Alexander Slonimsky wrote: "The Forest reflects the revolutionary upsurge at the beginning of the 1870s, and it is for this reason that Meyerhold chose to stage this play in particular. In it, the object of the satire is not the mercantile middle class as is usually the case with Ostrovsky, but the landowning gentry in decline after the abolition of serfdom" (A Revolution in Theatre). Receiving much critical response and inspiring over 50 articles over the following months, "The Forest remained permanently in Meyerhold's repertoire for the next fourteen years, being performed over 1700 times" (ibid).
Many of the broadsides used to promote plays at the theatre reflect avant-garde typographic influences which were prevalent in the Soviet Union during the 1920s and 30s. These posters were often designed by the same person who designed the sets and costumes for specific productions. The designs of these letterpress posters are consistent with the constructivist ideals of the theatre; they feature letter forms without adornment and through letterpress printing emphasize the importance of each small piece of type. Rare.
Condition A-: minor repaired tears at edges; minor creases at edges and in image; mounted on thin paper; hinged to mat. Framed.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Natalia gontcharova (1881-1962)
[GRAND BAL DE NUIT / SALLE BULLIER GRAND BAL DES ARTISTES]. 1926.
47¼x31½ inches, 120x80 cm. Joseph-Charles, Paris.
The emigrant Russian artistic community in Montparnasse became very active in the years before World War I and the large ball they hosted every year in order to raise money for their association was one of the highlights of the Parisian avant-garde season. Gontcharova was the very rich, eccentric granddaughter of Alexander Pushkin, who lived her extravagant life with her partner Mikhail Larianov. A Diaghilev devotee, she dedicated most of her considerable artistic talents to stage and costume design. She worked for the most prestigious theaters, operas, and ballet companies, from Rimsky-Korsakov’s revolutionary Coq d’Or, to her final creations for the Marquis de Cuevas Ballet, in 1948. Like avant-garde painter Mikhail Larionov in 1923, Gontcharova designed the poster for the artists’ ball at Bullier in 1926. Using black, brown, and orange cut-outs, she built a graphically-complex, cubist-inspired design of what looks like two figures crouched under a tree. This is the version before letters. Weill 322, Le Peintre et L’Affiche, Union des Arts Decoratifs, Paris, 1988, p. 69, Plakat Kunst p. 94, Kunstler Plakate p. 9.
Condition A-: small losses and abrasions at edges; unobtrusive punch holes at right edge. Mounted on Japan.
Estimate
$5,000 – $7,500
Gustav klutsis (1895-1938)
[COMMUNISM IS SOVIET POWER PLUS THE ELECTRIFICATION OF THE WHOLE COUNTRY]. 1928.
28½x20¼ inches, 73¼x51½ cm. State Publishing House, Moscow.
Born in Latvia, Klutsis studied at the influential Svomas/Vkhutemas art school under Malevich and Pevsner, and then went on to become a founding member of “October,” a group of artists dedicated to serving the needs of the proletariat throughout the USSR. Klutsis became the Soviet Union’s most prolific photomontage virtuoso, designing emblematic posters to inspire the Communist cause throughout the 1920s and 1930s. In 1938, despite his exceptional work for the cause, Stalin had Klutsis arrested and executed along with thousands of Latvians. Power of Images p. 126, Juan March p. 38.
Condition A-: minor tears, repaired tears, creases and abrasions at edges; minor creases in image. Paper.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
Gustav klutsis (1895-1938)
[BUILDING OF SOVIET FARMS AND COLLECTIVE FARMS IS THE BUILDING OF SOCIALISM IN RURAL AREAS]. 1930.
41x28 inches, 104x71 cm. State Publishing House, Moscow.
Part of Stalin’s first five-year plan was to get the farms to produce more food for the masses to consume. This poster is one of the few in Klutsis’ output in which he expands his color palette beyond red, white and black.
Condition A-: repaired tears at top edges; small losses at right corners; minor creases at edges. Paper.
Estimate
$8,000 – $12,000
Gustav klutsis (1895-1938)
[WITHOUT HEAVY INDUSTRY WE CANNOT BUILD ANY INDUSTRY]. 1930
41x29½ inches, 104x75 cm. State Publishing House, Moscow.
Power of Images p. 103.
Condition A- / B+: overpainting and minor restoration in margins; repaired tear at bottom right, into image; missing top margin.
Estimate
$2,500 – $3,500
Valentina kulagina (1902-1987)
[THE ROAD TO OCTOBER]. 1929.
41¼x29¼ inches, 104¾x73½ cm. State Publishing House, Moscow.
Best known as being the wife of Gustav Klutsis, Valentina Kulagina was an exceptional artist in her own right, specializing in posters and book and exhibition design. She met her future husband in 1920 when she enrolled as a student at Vkhutemas where he was teaching. Together, they worked closely on photomontages, taking pictures at parades (and sometimes posing themselves) to capture the enthusiastic movement of the masses, which they needed to fulfill various assignments. At the end of the 1920s, she departed from the sole use of photographic material in her work and began to incorporate graphic elements within her montages. This was unique at a time when photography had been unofficially adopted as the primary tool of the graphic propaganda machine. V&A E.1274-1989, Klutsis & Kulagina 133, Power of images p. 142.
Condition A- / B+: small replaced losses at lower left edge; minor repaired tears in margins; unobtrusive horizontal fold in bottom right image; minor restoration in image; small pin hole in bottom right corner.
Estimate
$7,000 – $10,000
Valentina kulagina (1902-1987)
[FOR THE DEFENSE OF THE USSR]. 1930.
35½x26 inches, 90¼x66 cm. State Publishing House, Moscow.
Here, completely abandoning any photographic elements in her work, three monolithic, geometrically stylized red soldiers are marching boldly to ensure the defense of the Soviet state. Klutsis / Kulagina 134.
Condition A- / A: slight toning and minor creases in margins; minor creases in image. Paper.
Estimate
$8,000 – $12,000
Nikolai andreevich dolgorukov (1902-1980)
[LONG LIVE THE GREAT INVINCIBLE BANNER OF MARX, ENGELS & LENIN]. 1935.
65¼x22¼ inches, 165¾x56½ cm. Ogiz-Izogiz, Moscow.
Russian text at the bottom translates as: “Long live Comrade Stalin - our leader, teacher and best friend of the Red Army, whose leadership ensured a gigantic increase in the defense capacity of the Soviet Country and the Might of the Red Army! Long Live Comrade Voroshilov, the experienced leader of the Red Army, under whose direct leadership the Red Army grew into a formidable and invincible force! Long Live the workers’ and peasants’ Red Army, the faithful guardian of the conquests of October!” Power of Images p. 167.
Condition A: expert minor restoration at edges and along vertical and horizontal folds. Two-sheets.
Estimate
$5,000 – $7,500
Viktor nikolaevich (deni) denisov (1893-1946)
[COMPLETE DESTRUCTION OF THE FASCIST NEST!] 1945.
19¼x15½ inches, 48¾x39¼ cm. Isskustvo, Moscow.
From an edition of 25,000.
Condition B+: small tears at edges; creases and scuffing along vertical and horizontal folds; punch holes with reinforcement tape on verso, along left margin; small handwritten notation in bottom left corner. Paper.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Avant Garde & Futurism
Ladislav sutnar (1897-1976)
ZIJEME / [WE LIVE]. Group of 20 issues. 1931-1933.
Each 10x7¼ inches, 25½x18½ cm. Druzstevni Prace, Prague.
Sutnar, as Artistic Director of Druzstevni Prace, was responsible for the artistic design of this periodical, the covers of which are all like mini posters. Following Karel Teige’s belief that “the cover was an advertisement for the book . . . and to make this desirable poster-like balance as strong an impact as possible [the artist must choose] primary colors and geometric shapes,” Sutnar added his own elements of photomontage and typography to Teige’s concept of cover design (Oxford, p. 59). His aesthetic helped to further promote Functionalist design into mainstream society. Among the artists whose work is featured in this lifestyle magazine, both written and visual, are Josef Sudek, Jaromir Funke, Alexander Hackenschmied, Karel Teige, Vladimir Krejcar, Le Corbusier, Man Ray, Max Ernst and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy. These issues frequently appear bound together; it is rare to find them loose, as issued. This group includes eight issues from 1931, ten from 1932, and two from 1933. Berman / Juan March p. 144, Page Design p. 189, Modernism p. 274, Witkovsky pl. 42, Sutnar p. 64. Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A- / B+: minor wear to covers.
Estimate
$7,000 – $10,000
Ladislav sutnar (1897-1976)
MAGAZIN DP / [DRUZSTEVNI PRACE] . Group of 15 issues. 1933-1935.
Each 10x7 inches, 25½x17¾ cm.
Group includes: Issues 1-7 (1933), Issues 5-10 (1934), and Issues 8 & 10 (1935). Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A- / B+: minor wear and abrasions to covers; some with minor staining inside.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
J.H. (DATES UNKNOWN)
MEZINARODNI LETECKY MEETING / PLZEN. 1931.
49¼x37½ inches, 125x95¼ cm. Unie, Prague.
A promotional poster for an international aviation meeting in Plzen. Dividing the group of airplanes in the top left with the cityscape in the lower right, is a dramatic sweep of flags, including, at the bottom left, the four-colored flag of the city of Plzen. Rare. Crouse p. 39.
Condition A-: minor repaired tears and creases in margins and along vertical and horizontal folds.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Stefan osiecki (1902-1977) & jerzy skolimowski (dates unknown)
WIOSLARSKIE MISTRZOSTWA EUROPY F.I.S.A. 1929.
51x39½ inches, 129½x100¼ cm. W. Glowczewski, Warsaw.
“Broken down into fields of flat colors and basic shapes, the constructivist-style design for the 1929 European Rowing Championships is purposeful and yet done without a shred of extraneous artwork . . . it’s seemingly simple composition and saturated hues result in a promotion that is vibrant and exceptionally inviting. The event was held on the Vistula River in Bydgoszcz, a major Polish city, originally a fishing settlement located northwest of Warsaw” (Crouse p. 127). Crouse p. 126, Biblioteki Glownej 168.
Condition B: replaced losses in margins, text and image; overpainting, creases and extensive repaired tears in margins and image and along vertical and horizontal folds; repaired pin holes in corners. Mounted on paper.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
István irsai (1896-1967)
LAMPART / ZOMANCKAD OROKKE UJ. Circa 1930s.
36¾x24 inches, 93¼x61 cm. Athenaeum, Budapest.
Irsai, who also went by the name Pesach Ir-Shay, was a Hungarian poster artist, graphic designer and architect. He served as an officer in the Austro-Hungarian Army during the First World War, though an injury ended his original career as a violinist. He went on to start a career in architecture and graphic design, gaining knowledge about lithography through his work at Globus Printing House. Upon moving to Israel in 1952, he furthered his entrée into the graphic world, developing the first modern Hebrew font, the “Haim,” and establishing himself in the world of theater and stage design. Later returning to Hungary, Irsai held onto Modernist styles of graphics and typography for many years, this image being one of a few commercial designs for Lampart. Other corporate commissions were created for companies such as Tungsum, Modiano and Nor-coc. During WWII, Irsai was able to escape the concentration camps and settled in Israel via Switzerland.
Condition B+: expertly-repaired tear at bottom edge, into text; minor repaired tears and creases at edges; minor creases in image.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Eric rohman (1891-1949)
EN NATTI NEW YORK. 1927.
39x27 inches, 99x68½ cm. Svensk Konstindustri.
Eric Rohman was one of Sweden’s leading poster artists, designing hundreds of posters promoting American movies. His simple, illustrative Art Deco style alternated between accomplished caricatures and hard-edge design. This poster is for New York, a lost silent film released in 1927.
Condition A-: minor abrasions and restoration along vertical and horizontal folds.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Umberto di lazzaro (1898-1968)
CROCIERA AEREA DEL DECENNALE XI. 1933.
44¼x38½ inches, 112¼x97¾ cm. I.G.A.P., Rome.
Promoting “the second transatlantic mass-formation flight jointly sponsored by the Societa Italo-Americana del Petrolio (Italo-American Petroleum Society) and the Italian government, in celebration of the eleventh anniversary of Benito Mussolini’s rise to power” (Crouse, p. 38). This image is one of three prominent posters designed to propagandize this incredible “aeronautical achievement [which] was an epic undertaking for its time: it comprised two formations, each of which was made up of four squadrons consisting of three SIAI SM 55X seaplanes. Until then the North Atlantic had been traversed only by single aeroplanes, and [the airmen] received a tumultuous welcome upon their arrival in the United States” (Wings of Italy p. 10). “The twenty-four Savoia-Marchettis that flew from Rome to the Century of Progress International Exposition in Chicago, then returned to Rome via New York, were under the command of the Italian marshal of the air force, General Italo Balbo” (ibid). Balbo was opposed to Italy’s alliance with Hitler. Crouse p. 38, Wings of Italy p. 44.
Condition A-: expertly-repaired tears in margins; unobtrusive horizontal fold.
Estimate
$12,000 – $18,000
Guglielmo sansoni “tato” (1896-1974)
CAMICIA NERA. 1933.
78½x54¼ inches, 199½x137¾ cm.
A Futurist artist best known for his aerial view paintings and lithographs, Tato also dabbled in sculpture, ceramics, set design, writing and poster making. He published military themed drawings during WWI as a volunteer officer on the front. This image, undeniably Futurist in style and theme, was also used as a cover for Gioventu Fascista, “Fascist Youth,” Year II N. 3 - January 30th issue.
Condition B+: repaired tears, replaced losses, creases and slight darkening along vertical and horizontal folds; small repaired tears and creases in margins. Four-sheets.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Art Deco
Anton “toni” zepf (1902-?)
ROLLI DER STÜRMER / SAARBRÜCKER ZEITUNG. Circa 1930s.
64½x39½ inches, 163¾x100¼ cm. Hoferdruck, Saarbrücken.
Saarbrücker Zeitung was first published as a weekly journal in 1761, and changed owners and names several times over the years. This poster illustrates a “Stürmer” or “striker” in football to advertise a new “riveting sports novel.” Toni Zepf was “a German artist well known in the field of publicity and display . . . his designs for the Container Corporation were contracted for by correspondence” (Modern Art in Advertising). He studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Saarbrücken, then from 1927 to 1936, he worked for the Saarbrücker Zeitung. After his run at the Saarbrücker paper, Zepf worked for the Berliner Tageblatt. Later working freelance in Berlin, he also designed covers for Die Neue Linie, Gebrauchsgraphik and the German State Railway.
Condition B: replaced and overpainted bottom right corner; replaced losses, repaired tears, creases and overpainting at edges, in image and along vertical and horizontal folds; minor rippling in image.
Estimate
$5,000 – $7,500
Henry ehlers (1897-?)
BAMBERGER & HERTZ. Circa 1930s.
66x47 inches, 167½x119½ cm.
Ehlers was a founding member of the Neue Vereinigung Munchener Plakatkunstler (the New Group of Munich Poster Artists). Employing progressive new typography, stylized graphics and photography, his style was the most modern of his colleagues. Among his major clients were the automotive giant B.M.W. and the men’s clothing store Bamberger & Hertz. This atmospheric image adeptly conveys the “cold night, warm coat” slogan that the poster is promoting.
Condition B+: repaired tears at edges, some slightly into image; creases and minor restoration at edges and along vertical and horizontal folds. Two-sheets.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Lucian bernhard (1883-1972) & fritz rosen (1890-1980)
REKLAME SCHAU. 1929.
32½x23¼ inches, 82½x59 cm. Hans Pusch, Berlin.
In 1925, Lucian Bernhard emigrated to the United States - not for political reasons, but to explore new business opportunities in America. He left his studio in Berlin to his partner Fritz Rosen, who ran the company until 1933 when he too emigrated to America. In 1929, Bernhard and Rosen had a large retrospective exhibition in Berlin; to advertise the show, they not only co-designed this poster, but also a cover for the magazine Gebrauchsgraphik (picturing the two of themselves with globes instead of heads - Bernhard’s being the larger of the two). Their collaborative effort on the poster resulted in this intriguing, well-balanced “look and listen” image, playing stylistically on light and complementary colors. Half blue, half orange, half awake, half asleep, listening closely on one side, and peering attentively on the other, the two men capture the split personality of their working relationship while accentuating the common goals they strive to achieve. Germany p. 76, Verfuhrungen 130, Crouse p. 110, L’Affiche Art Deco p. 263.
Condition B+: restoration over tape marks, replaced losses and expertly-repaired tears in margins; minor abrasions in image; hand-written notations in bottom left corner.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
Josep morell marcias (1899-1949)
EXPOSICION FILATÉLICA NACIONAL DE BARCELONA. 1930.
41¾x27¾ inches, 106x70½ cm. Sres. de Henrich y Cia, Barcelona.
Condition B+: small replaced losses, minor skinning and restoration in margins; foxing in top margin and slight foxing in image; repaired pin holes in corners; paper text insert in lower left, as issued.
Estimate
$2,500 – $3,500
Ernst böhm (1890-1963)
EDITH HEINEMANN IM HOTEL STADT WIEN. 1935.
47¼x33 inches, 120x83¾ cm. Franz Scheiner Graphische Kunstanstalt, Würzburg.
While Böhm is known to have designed at least six posters, all of which were made during the 1930s, he looms even larger in the world of Arts and Crafts design. A professor in the field during the Weimar period, Böhm traveled as a lecturer and produced designs for wallpaper, fabrics, pottery, typography and most notably, stamps. Although this poster for a Carnival evening promotes an appearance by Edith Heinemann, the master violinist, Böhm instead chose to illustrate a stylized masked harlequin. Heinemann, more widely known by her maiden name Lorand, was a Berlin-based violin virtuoso from a Hungarian-Jewish family, whose 20-year career on the Viennese stage endeared her with the titles of “Queen of the Waltz” and the “Female John Strauss” prior to her flight from Nazi Germany in 1937.
Condition A-: expert overpainting in margins; minor creases in image.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Johann von stein (1896-1965)
WINKLER PRINS. 1932.
38¼x21 inches, 97x53¼ cm. N.V. Nederl, Leiden.
Von Stein was a painter and poster designer who brought his own personal elegance to his works. Although his compositions are very strict, and here, monumental, they also contain a very appealing Art Deco touch. His giant, sculptural depiction of Athena, goddess of wisdom, against detailed background of the cosmos, makes for an eye-catching spokesperson for this modern encyclopedia.
Condition A-: waterstaining in bottom margin; minor repaired tears and creases at edges; minor creases in image.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,000
Toyonosuke kurozumi (1908-1955)
[OSAKA RAILWAYS / SHIROSAKI IN WINTER]. Circa 1935.
35x24¼ inches, 89x61½ cm.
Kurozumi worked for the Osaka National Railways in the 1930s, designing at least four or five posters for the company. The small number of his posters that have surfaced are classic Art Deco images. The simple, bold, stylized designs reflect his ability to give the “illusion of modernization through the use of ideographic forms” (Fraser p. 63). L’Affiche Art Deco p. 109.
Condition A-: expertly-repaired tears and minor creases at edges;
Estimate
$2,500 – $3,500
Designer unknown
“NAGOYA - JAPAN.” Circa 1930s.
36x25 inches, 91½x63½ cm. Isseisha Printer, Nagoya.
A rare poster issued for the domestic Japanese market, promoting tourism to the historic city of Nagoya. The poster shows the famous Nagoya Castle overlapping the character for “Spring,” with a subtle silhouette of cherry blossoms at the left side. During the Edo period (1603-1868), Nagoya Castle was at the heart of one of the most important strategic towns in Central Japan, located on two important trading routes. By the 20th century, the castle was no longer considered of military or strategic importance and ownership was transferred to the City of Nagoya. The castle and grounds were opened to the public for the first time in February, 1931. The poster was issued by Nagoya Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the Nagoya Tourism Bureau.
Condition A-: small replaced losses in corners; small repaired tears and printing ink at edges; creases, abrasions and minor restoration in outer image.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Designer unknown
[JAPANESE / DISASTER PREVENTION POSTER COLLECTION]. Hardcover book. Circa 1930s.
6¾x8¾ inches, 17x22¼ cm. Shino Kura Masaru, Tokyo.
Published by the Labor Department, Social Affairs Bureau. Images available upon request.
Condition A-: minor abrasions to covers; pencil-written translations on most illustrated pages; slight toning at edges. Tied with ribbon.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Willem frederick ten broek (1905-1993)
HOLLAND - AMERIKA LINIE. 1936.
37¾x25¼ inches, 95¾x64 cm. Joh. Enschede en Zonen, Haarlem, The Netherlands.
By employing a dramatic, Cassandre-esque, low-angle perspective of a sleek ocean liner, twisting it a little to the side and adding an Art Deco curve to its profile, Ten Broek creates a powerful, sweeping image. Unlike Cassandre’s ship posters, which feature specific vessels, Ten Broek is not heralding the launch of a new liner, but rather glorifying the company and the concept of sea travel as a whole. This is the German version. Poster Progress p. 104, Modern Dutch 101, Schipp & Affiche 27, Art Deco Graphics p. 73, Encyclopedie de l’Affiche p. 207, Weallans p. 157, Crouse p. 228 (var), L’Affiche Art Deco p. 70.
Condition A-: minor foxing and darkening in margins; small foxing spots and minor creases in image; small replaced loss in upper left corner; unobtrusive repaired pin holes in corners.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Adolphe mouron cassandre (1901-1968)
NEW STATENDAM / HOLLAND - AMERICA LINE. 1928.
40¾x31 inches, 103½x31¾ cm. Nijgh & Van Dittmar, Rotterdam.
Launched in 1924, construction problems delayed the maiden voyage of the Statendam until April 11, 1929. Known as the “Queen of the Spotless Fleet,” she served the Holland-America Line until 1940, when she was destroyed during World War II. To promote her first crossing, Cassandre developed this compelling close-up view of funnels and ventilation cowls, with stylized waves of smoke billowing out overhead. Cassandre’s love of sea travel found him “constantly renewing himself, constantly varying not only his point of view and angle but also his style” (Mouron p. 64). This poster not only represents another unique vantage point from which to view technology, but is “a prime example of Cassandre’s attention to tonal values. The color scheme . . . brings a wonderfully sober equilibrium to the composition” (ibid. p.66). Mouron 104, Brown & Reinhold pl. 12, Cassandre / Weill p. 22, Cassandre / Suntory 69, Cassandre / Tokyo 28, Schipp & Affiche 53, Passenger Ships 73, Crouse p. 227, L’Affiche Art Deco p. 136.
Condition B+: repaired tears in margins, one into lower text; minor overpainting and replaced losses at edges; minor creases and abrasions in margins and image. Matted and framed.
Estimate
$12,000 – $18,000
Adolphe mouron cassandre (1901-1968)
L.M.S. BEST WAY. 1928.
37½x48½ inches, 95¼x123¼ cm. [McCorquodale & Co. Limited, London.]
"In terms of its image and the energy it connotes, L.M.S. Best Way is Cassandre's most powerful poster" (Brown & Reinhold p. 14). In 1927, Cassandre painted an image very similar to this one for the Nord Express railway, which actually ended up rejecting the design. In 1928, Cassandre designed his first poster for the L.M.S. British railway line. He followed that poster with this one, a reconfiguration of his earlier painting. Printed in England, the poster conforms to the standard "quad royal" measurements for British Railway posters of the time. However, by all accounts, this poster was not used commercially, as only 50 copies were printed.
"By changing to the unusual nearly square format, he evokes a feeling of vertical and horizontal compression of energy about to be unleashed . . . [by] creating an artful cacophony of light, shading, and geometric forms, he is able to emphasize the kinetic and dynamic aspects of a train in motion" (ibid). "It is a superb Cubistic painting . . . the vermilion aura around the two driving wheels evokes both speed and the flames that used to roar in the bowels of the old steam engines" (Mouron p. 61). Rare.
Provenance: acquired by the current owner from Reinhold Brown Gallery, NYC, in the 1980s. It was this same poster that appeared on the cover of the gallery's seminal, 1979, book "The Poster Art of A.M. Cassandre."
Mouron pl. 15, Brown & Reinhold cover and 13, Cassandre / Weill p. 17, Cassandre / Suntory 50, Cassandre / Tokyo 24, Art Deco Graphics p. 38, Weill 342, Avant-Garde p. 159, Art Deco Graphics p. 80, Modern Poster 156, Muller-Brockmann 260, L'Affiche Art Deco p. 136.
Condition B: top trimmed to image; bottom and sides trimmed to border, missing printer info; borders stained and folded behind mount; repaired tears, sharp creases, bubbling and restoration in image; overpainting along tears; pigment losses around edges. Mounted on thin linen to board. Matted and framed.
Estimate
$40,000 – $60,000
Adolphe mouron cassandre (1901-1968)
FLÈCHE D’ARGENT / AÉROPOSTALE. 1929.
39¼x24¼ inches, 99½x61½ cm. Courbet, Paris.
Aéropostale was originally named Lignes Aériennes Latécoère after its founder and airplane manufacturer, Pierre G. Latécoère. His first flight between Paris and Morocco was in 1919. The company assumed the name Aéropostale in 1927, and they initiated their Paris, Bordeaux and Biarritz route in July 1928. Cassandre depicts a Latécoère 28 slicing through the sky like an extension of the clouds around it. Mouron 95, Reina Sophia p. 169, Cassandre / Tokyo 32, Cassandre / Suntory 56, Crouse p. 29.
Condition A- / A: minor repaired tears at bottom margin; minor creases and restoration in image.
Estimate
$10,000 – $15,000
Adolphe mouron cassandre (1901-1968)
TRIPLEX. Pencil and gouache maquette. 1930.
26x19¾ inches, 66x50¼ cm.
To promote this shatterproof safety glass, Cassandre designed one of his strongest images - a nearly monochromatic poster. Every detail of this stylized driver - his wide eyes fixed on the road ahead and his hands tightly grasping the steering wheel - helps to evoke his complete concentration. The only barrier between the driver and the potential dangers of the road is a rectangle of Triplex glass. This drawing, with text that does not appear in the poster, preceded Cassandre's full-size color maquette for the poster, also dated 1930. (The poster and postcard were printed in 1931). The typography on this drawing differs slightly from the gouache maquette, as does the shading.
Provenance: acquired from Reinhold Brown Gallery, NYC, in the 1980s by the current owner.
Weill 340, Word & Image p. 80, Brown & Reinhold p. 52, Avant Garde p. 161, Reina Sofia p. 175, Suntory 15, Crouse p. 79, Affiches Art Deco p. 15, Plakat Kunst p. 104, Muller-Brockmann 84, The Poster 215, Cassandre / Weill 114, MoMA 273.1935 (all var).
Condition A: minor creases in image; minor creases and abrasions at side edges. Pencil and gouache highlights on paper, with collage and stencil elements. Hinged archivally to mount. Framed.
Estimate
$25,000 – $35,000
D’après adolphe mouron cassandre (1901-1968)
DUBO DUBON DUBONNET. 1935.
10½x14¼ inches, 26½x3¼ cm. Alliance Graphique, Paris.
Condition A-: minor abrasions and foxing in margins.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Adolphe mouron cassandre (1901-1968)
MENTOR. 1949.
33¾x24½ inches, 85¾x62¼ cm. Andreason & Lachmann, Copenhagen.
This advertisement for a Danish Encyclopedia was one of the last posters Cassandre designed. More in keeping with the lyric romanticism of his theatrical work, which was prominent at this point in his career, he depicts a young man poring over a reference book with question marks indicating his curiosity. Clearly finding what he wants, the blue illustrations in the book are filling up his eyes, which are the same color. Suntory p. 182, Brown & Reinhold p. 161, Cassandre / Weill 208.
Condition A-: restored lower left corner; minor creases and abrasions in margins and image.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Adolphe mouron cassandre (1901-1968)
ANDROS / [SERGE LIFAR]. Gouache and ink drawing. 1957.
13½x10¼ inches, 35¼x26 cm.
Lifar was a Ukrainian-born French dancer, choreographer, and ballet master of the Paris Opéra Ballet. He was brought to France to join Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, where he danced until 1956, with a short absence after WWII. After retiring as a dancer, he choreographed and staged ballets for various European companies. Many of his ballets were drawn from biblical or mythological themes, and this costume design here, titled “Andros” coincides with this period of his work.
Condition B+: creases and abrasions in image; pin holes along left side. Hand-signed by the artist. Matted and framed.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,000
Adolphe mouron cassandre (1901-1968)
PHILIPS / TELEVISION. 1955.
16½x11¾ inches, 42x29¾ cm.
While the poster was apparently designed in 1951 (see the date next to Cassandre’s signature), the book itself was not printed until 1955.
Condition A. Paper.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Adolphe mouron cassandre (1901-1968)
[DOLE PINEAPPLE / CONTAINER CORPORATION OF AMERICA]. Group of 3 magazine ads.
Each approximately 13¾x11 inches, 35x28 cm.
Group includes: Dole / Pineapple Juice, (1938); Dole / Pineapple Gems, (1938); and Paradox / Container Corporation. Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A: one tipped to paper.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Pierre fix-masseau (1905-1994)
S.T.A.R.N. AUTOBUS. 1929.
38¼x23 inches, 97x58½ cm. L. Danel, Lille.
Fix-Masseau spent some time working as an assistant to Cassandre. It is unclear whether the young artist got the commission to design this poster through Cassandre’s atelier, or after he left and opened his own studio. In the latter case, this poster would be Fix-Masseau’s first personal commission. The Chemins de Fer du Nord, for whom Cassandre designed his best railway posters, also had a network of buses connected to their train routes to reach smaller towns. Conceptually, Fix-Masseau designed this poster following Cassandre’s guidelines, apparent in the grouping of the typography at the top and bottom of the image, and the perspective of the vehicles. Stylistically, Fix-Masseau clearly differs from Cassandre, in that his machines are less geometric and bear a more delicate illustrator’s touch. Railway Posters 141.
Condition A: minor pin holes and abrasions in margins. Matted and framed.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Robert falcucci (1900-1989)
PARIS - ALGER / LIAISON RAPIDE PAR MARSEILLE. Circa 1935.
38¼x24 inches, 97x61 cm. M. Dechaux, Paris.
Falcucci’s career spanned multiple decades and several thematic milieus. He began designing car racing posters for the Monaco Grand Prix in 1930, and went on to design travel posters and images for Air France. His later work is punctuated by bright, near fluorescent colors. Here, he uses a simple primary color scheme and stylized map to show the many routes by which Algeria is accessible from France and other parts of Europe. To emphasize the speed used to make the trip, he portrays two steaming vehicles cruising powerfully toward their destinations.
Condition A: small repaired tears at edges. Matted and Framed.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Theodoro (théodore pfeifer, 1896-1973)
CHEMINS DE FER DE L’EST. 1929.
37¾x23 inches, 95¾x58½ cm. C. Courtois, Paris.
Miroir 10, L’Affiche Art Deco p. 84.
Condition A: minor creases and abrasions in margins. Matted and framed.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Emil andre schefer (1876-1942)
PARIS - VICHY / AUTOMOTRICE RAPIDE BUGATTI. 1935.
39x23¾ inches, 99x60¼ cm. Chaix, Paris.
The famed car designer Ettore Bugatti began designing rail cars early in the 1930s. By 1934, the Bugatti trains had captured a world rail speed record of 196 kilometers an hour. Schefer, who worked exclusively for automobile and train companies, was nicknamed “the painter of machines.” This is the much rarer of two variants of this image, the other advertising travel from Paris to Lyon in 4 hours and 50 minutes. Le Train p. 70 (var), Belves p. 68.
Condition A-: minor creases in margins and image; minor restoration spot in right image. Matted and framed.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Henry reb (1883-1959)
LE SALEVE. 1932.
62¾x47¼ inches, 159½x120 cm. Générale, Grenoble.
The architecture of the massive, modern terminal of the Saleve téléphérique, seen from a dramatic low angle. Located near Geneva, today, Saleve is considered a hiking and paragliding mecca. For this poster, despite boasting one “of the most beautiful panoramas in the world,” Reb focused on the impressive technological construction of the cable car rather than the natural beauty of the surrounding Alps.
Condition A / A-: minor creases and minor staining in margins; unobtrusive creases in image.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Herbert matter (1907-1984)
ENGELBERG. 1928.
50x35¾ inches, 127x90¾ cm. Orell Fussli, Zurich.
Although best known for his work in the field of photomontage, Matter’s earlier posters show that before his foray into the avant-garde, he had a firm command of graphic design and composition. This poster was designed in the same year as his famous image for PKZ. Swiss Tourist 149.
Condition A-: minor repaired tears and creases in margins.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Albert füss (1898-1969)
DAS GUTE / RADIO - GERÄT.
35½x23½ inches, 90¼x59½ cm. Wüsten & Co., Frankfurt.
Rare.
Condition A-: expertly-repaired tears at edges; small replaced loss at bottom edge.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Johannes bernardus wiebenga (1905-1987)
INTERNATIONALE TENTOONSTELLING / KLANK EN BEELD. 1932.
41½x30½ inches, 105½x77½ cm. Kotting, Amsterdam.
This poster created for “a 1932 international sound and image exhibition in Amsterdam, captures the essence of the subject matter with a powerful, stylized, red art deco bust, which has sound waves and visual projections emanating from its ear and eye. The exhibition covered all the bases - radio, television, sound recordings, music, photography, and even the latest craze, talking pictures, even though the first Dutch-language sound film wouldn’t be released until the following year” (Crouse p. 110). This is a very early, if not the first poster to mention television; TVs weren’t widely used in European homes until the 1950s. This image was also used on a postage stamp, and there is a smaller version in black, blue and red, on a white background, by a different printer. Crouse p. 110.
Condition B+: replaced losses, repaired tears and scuffing at edges; repaired tears along vertical and horizontal folds and in upper text; minor overpainting in right image; repaired pin holes in corners.
Estimate
$5,000 – $7,500
Designer unknown
TSF / LE MONDE QUI VOUS PARLE. Gouache maquette.
45½x29¼ inches, 115½x74¼ cm.
An unrealized poster design for TSF, donning the slogan “The World that Speaks to You.”
Condition A. Gouache and airbrush painting. Matted and framed.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Designer unknown
MINERVA RADIO. Circa 1940.
29¾x21¾ inches, 75½x55¼ cm. Nadal, Paris.
Nadal was a highly efficient advertising studio that not only designed posters and brochures, but also created all sorts of advertising objects for their clients. Among their respected and important clientele were Bugatti, Renault and the French branch of the White Star Cunard Line. They were among the early proponents of including photography in their advertising.
Condition B+: repaired tears and creases in margins and image.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Orsi (1889-1947)
LAMPE FLUORESCENTE / PHILIPS. Circa 1940.
61½x45 inches, 156½x114¼ cm. Bedos & Cie, Paris.
The expansive Bénézit Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs, writes of Orsi that “his name should have an important place in the history of posters on behalf of his innovative aesthetics.” Bénézit goes on to praise Orsi’s sense of simplification, his bright colors and his creative ideas, and further estimates that Orsi designed as many as 1,000 posters. Despite this prodigious output, nothing else has been written on the artist and no portrait of him exists. Philips was one of his primary clients. Here, the Pointillist effect he creates to advertise a fluorescent light bulb is a classic example of the extent of his talent. The diagonal of the bulb itself, the unique handling of the coloring, the typography and the overall feeling of fluorescence make this an exceptional image.
Condition A: minor creases in margins. Framed.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Tom purvis (1888-1959)
AUSTIN REED LTD. Circa 1927.
59½x39¾ inches, 151x101 cm.
“Vibrant bands of color offset the somber sophistication of evening wear and provide a sense of motion to this poster advertising Austin Reed’s very first store, at 13 Fenchurch Street in London. The retailer of upmarket clothing, known for its menswear, was founded in 1900 and had seventy outlets throughout Britain . . . With superb simplicity and just two colors - black and white - Purvis creates a classic vision of formal wear: gloves, top hat, overcoat, striped scarf, bow tie, trousers, and vest” (Crouse p. 153). He designed a number of posters for the retailer during the 1920s, and “these works created in the ‘flat method’ with vivid contrasting colors are amongst Purvis’s most well known and respected” (Purvis p. 20). Purvis p. 48, Crouse p. 152.
Condition B+: repaired tears and small replaced losses at top edge, into image; repaired tears, replaced losses, creases and restoration in margins; minor creases and restoration in image.
Estimate
$7,000 – $10,000
Austin cooper (1890-1964)
MAKING ELECTRICAL MACHINERY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. 1930.
40x60 inches, 101½x152½ cm. John Horn Limited, London.
Austin Cooper was a stylistic virtuoso and a prolific artist, whose first commercial venture was a graphic design studio in his native Canada. His highly-pictorial, Art Deco style received widespread public acclaim and he quickly found work with many of Britain’s most important poster-commissioning companies, such as the London Underground, the LNER and the Empire Marketing Board. “The EMB included representations of this world-leading industry in its posters, showing it to be mighty, masterful and technologically advanced” (EMB Posters, np). Cooper’s dramtically-lit manufacturing scene, with a glimpse of a factory worker, was designed to illustrate the “economic ties that connected industrial workers in Britain with the rest of the Empire” (ibid.). B.O.5. Issued by the Empire Marketing Board.
Condition B+: repaired tears, creases and restoration in margins and along vertical and horizontal folds.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
E.h. fairhurst (dates unknown)
OVER A CENTURY OF PROGRESS FROM THE “ROCKET” TO THE “PRINCESS ROYAL.” 1933.
29¾x44½ inches, 75½x113 cm. S.C. Allen, London.
A “Poster produced for London, Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS) to promote progress made by the railway. The poster shows an illustration of the Princess Royal steam locomotive superimposed on diagrams of earlier locomotives (including Robert Stephenson’s ‘Rocket’ of 1830). The Princess Royal class of locomotive was a 4 cylinder 4-6-2 Pacific, designed by Sir William Stanier (LMS Chief Mechanical Engineer) and introduced in 1933 for use on express passenger services” (Science & Society Picture Library). Rare.
Condition A- / B+: creases and restoration along vertical and horizontal folds; foxing in margins.
Estimate
$7,000 – $10,000
John armstrong (1893-1973)
THEATRE - GOERS USE SHELL / YOU CAN BE SURE OF SHELL. 1938.
29½x44 inches, 75x111¾ cm. [Waterlow, London.]
After initially studying law, and working as a offical war artist in WWI, Armstrong’s career included not only poster advertising and mural art for Shell, but also film and stage sets, book illustrations and painting. His eight-panel mural comissioned for the Shell-Mex House, entitled Transport through the Ages, illustrated the before and after impact of Shell on various forms of transportation. While influenced by Classical Greek art, his affinity for Surrealism is even more evident in his Shell posters.
Condition B+: repaired tears, creases and restoration in margins and along vertical and horizontal folds; faint staining in image.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Kavari schwitzer (dates unknown)
THESE MEN USE SHELL / YOU CAN BE SURE OF SHELL / THE CIRCUS. 1938.
29¾x44¼ inches, 75½x112¼ cm. [Waterlow, London.]
This appears to be the artist’s only known poster.
Condition B: extensive overpainting and repaired tears in side margins; repaired tears and creases in top and bottom margins; foxing in margins and image.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Bernard bécan (1890-1943)
FIÈVRE DE LOUIS DELLUC. Circa 1921.
52¾x66¼ inches, 134x168¼ cm. Atelier Becan, Paris.
Bécan was an illustrator, painter and poster designer with a handful of impressive Art Deco posters to his credit. This exceptional, atmospheric image captures all of the romance, intrigue, sleaze, debauchery, flavor and lust of the dirty Marseille bar where this story takes place. The film, directed by Louis Delluc, is the story of a brutish owner of a bar, his wife and her former lover who has sailed into port from the Orient with a new young woman by his side. Pictured are the sailor and Sarah (the wife of the owner) dancing, with her husband looking on with an unpleasant countenance. The tulip, pictured prominently, also plays an important, symbolic role in the story. Rather ironically, the movie being promoted by this enormous poster was a short film. An excellent review of the film and the director can be found here: http://www.frenchfilms.org/review/fievre-1921.html.
Condition B: replaced losses and extensive repaired tears, creases and abrasions in margins and image and along vertical and horizontal folds.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Fossey (dates unknown)
EUGENE / ONDULATION PERMANENTE. 1926.
35¼x22½ inches, 89½x57 cm. C. Courtois, Paris.
Art Deco in both style and palette, this advertisement for permanent hair waves is by an otherwise unknown artist who designed several images for the same company.
Condition A-: light foxing in margins. Paper.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Photo by brassaï (1899-1984)
MAILLOL / PETIT PALAIS. 1937.
47x31¼ inches, 119¼x79¼ cm. Mourlot, Paris.
Condition A-: minor creases and abrasions in image and along vertical and horizontal folds.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Designer unknown
BOMBONES RIQUER. Cut-out display. Circa 1930s.
26x17 inches, 66x43¼ cm. Publicolor, Barcelona.
Condition B+: creases and abrasions at edges and in image; printed on board with stand for display on verso.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Various artists
ARTS MÉNAGERS / GRAND PALAIS. Group of 3 posters. 1932-1936.
Sizes vary, generally 39x24 inches, 99x61 cm.
Group includes posters for the 9th Salon (1932), by Lacroix; the 12th Salon (1935), by Roger Pérot; and the 13th Salon (1936), by D’Ornellas. Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally B+.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Francis bernard (1900-1979)
BLACK AND DECKER. 1930.
61½x46 inches, 156¼x116¾ cm. Paul-Martial, [Paris.]
Francis Bernard was a member of the U.A.M. (Union des Artistes Modernes) along with A.M. Cassandre, Jean Carlu, Charles Loupot and Paul Colin. Although he is the least known of the five, he was, in fact, a pioneer of photomontage in France, as well as the first of the group to work as a full-time art director for the printer Paul Martial. This is the German version. Encyclopedie de l’Affiche p. 87.
Condition B: replaced losses and overpainting in margins and top right corner; extensive repaired tear at top right, into central image; repaired tears at edges; bleached spots in upper image. Framed.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Attributed to charles loupot (1892-1962)
LUBIN PARFUMEUR. Gouache maquette. 1936.
47¼x33½ inches, 120x85 cm.
A maquette for a seemingly unrealized poster, Loupot employs his signature style for this design for Lubin perfume.
Condition B+: repaired tears at edges, one slightly into image; foxing, creases and abrasions in margins and image; staining at lower right margin; pin holes in corners.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Charles loupot (1892-1962)
O CAP / POUR LES CHEVEUX. 1928.
62½x46 inches, 158¾x116¾ cm. Les Belles Affiches, Paris.
“A composition that combines a rigorous construction with a pictorial sensitivity. Curiously, we find here the same search for nocturnal light, the “neon effect” as with his colleagues, Carlu (Monaco) and Colin (Luna Park), the three posters having appeared practically at the same time. One of Loupot’s most beautiful advertisements” (Loupot / Zagrodzki p. 74). Rare. Reina Sofia p. 122, Loupot / Zagrodzki 76, Biblioteki Glownej 268, La Femme s’Affiche 117.
Condition B: replaced top margin, including corners; repaired tears, creases and overpainting in margins and along vertical and horizontal folds; creases in image. Framed.
Estimate
$10,000 – $15,000
Charles loupot (1892-1962)
CAILLER / CHOCOLAT AU LAIT. 1921.
50½x35¾ inches, 128¼x90¾ cm. Orell Füssli, Zurich.
After studying in Lyon, Loupot fought in the First World War and was wounded. He returned from the front and settled in Lausanne, where his parents were living, and quickly began his successful career as a poster designer. Most of his work was for the fashion and luxury goods industries. His style, a combination of the high-profile Swiss School and his own light French touch, worked very well for the products he was asked to advertise. This poster epitomizes the sophistication that was his visual calling card. The elegant young woman, who has pulled a chocolate bar out of her bag, almost appears to be guiltily sneaking her indulgence. She is dressed in warm colors against a dark background, and through Loupot’s unique handling of lithography, he has made the image and the typography appear to vibrate. Loupot / Zagrodzki 44, Loupot / Musee de l’Affiche 10, Chocolate p. 60, L’Affiche Art Deco p. 27.
Condition B: loss in lower text; tears in image, separating from backing; repaired tears, creases and abrasions in margins and image and along horizontal fold. Mounted on Japan.
Estimate
$7,000 – $10,000
Charles loupot (1892-1962)
MALACEÏNE. 1929.
63x46¼ inches, 160x117½ cm. Chaix, Paris.
Suggesting a floral fragrance and rosy complexion, Loupot creates his “ethereal flower-woman . . . stylized in the purest Art Deco spirit, which Loupot particularly cherished at the beginning of the 1920s” (Loupot p. 77). This is the larger format. Rare. Loupot / Zagrodzki 81, Loupot 44.
Condition A-: minor repaired tears, creases and restoration in margins and image.
Estimate
$20,000 – $30,000
Charles loupot (1892-1962)
ST RAPHAËL / QUINQUINA. 1938.
61½x44½ inches, 156¼x113 cm. Imp. Speciale du St. Raphael.
As Zagrodski notes in his book, Loupot’s work for St. Raphaël “can be qualified as the work of his life.” From 1937-1960 Loupot worked hand in hand with Max Augier, the advertising director of St. Raphaël, creating a series of posters that tell of a unique saga in the story of advertising. Working with the stylization of red and white-clad waiters, Loupot gradually moved towards creating more and more abstracted images. This is one of the earliest posters he designed for the company. It is also one of the first appearances of the company’s name in a cursive script rather than block letters. Loupot 86, Loupot / Zagrodski 106, Reina Sofia p. 134.
Condition B / B-: replaced losses in upper corners and at top, some affecting text; extensive repaired tears, creases and restoration at edges, in image and along vertical and horizontal folds.
Estimate
$5,000 – $7,500
E. pathe (dates unknown)
KINAGIN / LE VERMOUTH AU QUINA ET AU GIN. Circa 1938.
50¼x35¼ inches, 127½x89½ cm. A. Marsens, Lausanne.
A humorous Swiss commercial Art Deco image that combines the graphic concepts and compositions from two famous French posters, Pianos Daude and Dubonnet. Schweiz / Plakat, p. 236.
Condition A.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Raymond gid (1905-2000)
DUNCAN YOYO. 1930.
30¾x23¼ inches, 80½x59 cm. Bedos & Cie., Paris.
Duncan yo-yos hit the market in 1929 and quickly became an international sensation. Gid’s design, using only two colors, encapsulates the sheer joy of the toy through three intricate characters that are not only playing with yo-yos, but are embodiments of the toy itself. Their heads, each with one large eye, resemble yo-yos, and even the letters seem to dance. A clever mixture of Art Deco and humor. Raymond Gid 24, Encyclopedie de l’Affiche p. 86, L’Affiche Art Deco p. 187.
Condition A-: minor restoration, expertly-repaired tears and creases at edges; slight toning overall.
Estimate
$5,000 – $7,500
Marc real (dates unknown)
OFFREZ LES TABACS DE LA RÉGIE FRANÇAISE. Circa 1930.
62x44¼ inches, 157½x112¼ cm. Bedos & Cie., Paris.
In this Art Deco poster, “SEITA promotes French-made smokes en masse, advertising their output with three oversized cigars thrusting diagonally skyward and an open flip-top package of cigarettes alongside them” (Crouse p. 220). Real, a largely unknown artist of only a couple of posters, designed this effective image in the vein of Loupot and Cassandre. Rare. Crouse p. 220.
Condition B: large replaced loss in lower right corner, including image and overpainted text; repaired tears, creases and restoration at edges and along vertical and horizontal folds.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,000
Paul colin (1892-1986)
GRAND MAGASINS DE NOUVEAUTÉS / PARIS - MONTPELLIER. Circa 1930.
63x47 inches, 160x119¼ cm. Maurice Dupuy & Cie., Paris.
Rare. We have only been able to find three other copies at auction.
Condition B: extensive repaired tears, creases, abrasions and restoration in margins and image and along vertical and horizontal folds; reds attenuated. Framed.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
Various artists
[LES BALLETS SUÉDOIS / DANS L’ART CONTEMPORAIN]. Boxed set with group of programs. 1931.
Sizes vary. Éditions du Trianon, Paris.
Text and contributions by Cocteau, Bonnard, de Chirico, Foujita, Picabia, Léger, Steinlen, and many others. 625 of 1000 numbered copies with a separate suite of lovely color pochoir plates of stage designs.
With - Six Swedish Ballet programs (covers by Leger, Krohg, Vassiliett & Wiertz) and one detached program cover.
Condition A-: slight abrasions and wear to covers and separation at edges of original marbled slipcase. 8vo, without orange Léger covers. Separate folder with 14 loose plates.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Obrad nicolitch (1898-1976)
NIJNI ET STONE. Circa 1930.
54¾x39 inches, 139x99 cm. Affiches Nicolitch, Marseille.
Condition B+ / A-: slight darkening and foxing in margins; minor repaired tears in margins and image.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Tito livio de madrazo (1899-1979)
PEPITO VASQUEZ. 1940.
46¼x29 inches, 117½x76½ cm. Richier-Laugier, Paris.
Spanish by birth, Madrazo moved to Paris in 1930; in the following decade, he designed a series of posters promoting many of the Spanish dancers and performers in Paris. While most of these commissions were for second-rate acts, Madrazo brought a first-rate style to his work. All of his posters reflect his immediately recognizable personal style, in which he elongates his subjects into virtual ribbons and elastic bands, creating swirling movement out of their unusual contortions.
Condition A / A-: minor creases and small unobtrusive stains in image. Framed.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Raymond gid (1905-2000)
EXPOSITION ETHNOGRAPHIQUE DES COLONIES. 1931.
23½x15½ inches, 59½x39¼ cm. Raymond Gid.
Although he was active as a poster designer throughout his life, Gid is best known as a book designer and a master French typographer. In 1930, he wound up in North America on an ethnographic mission to study Canadian Indians. Through the connection he established with the Ethnographic Museum, he was asked to design this poster. The museum, located at the Trocadero, was closed for renovations in 1930, in order to refurbish it before a grand reopening a year later for a major colonial exhibition. Paul Colin designed a famous image to announce the event (see Swann Sale 2079, lot 37). This poster by Gid is for the first exhibition dedicated to the French colonies. The Oceanian idol and the typography are cleverly tilted to catch the eye in a pure Art Deco layout. This poster is a rare and early document pertaining to tribal arts exhibitions, a field that reached its pinnacle 75 years after this poster was designed with the opening of Paris' Quai Branly Museum. Gid p. 100, Fornay 16.
Condition A. Matted and framed.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Suzanne truitard (1893-1986)
CAMEROUN / TROCADÉRO. 1935.
23¾x16 inches, 60¼x40½ cm. De Vaugirard, Paris.
Truitard’s husband was a French Colonial administrator who served as Governor of Cameroon and then of La Réunion (a French-controlled island in the Indian Ocean). She designed a small handful of magazine covers and posters. This image promotes an exhibition at the Trocadero of the findings of Henri Labouret’s mission to Cameroon.
Condition A. Matted and framed.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Roger falck (1903-1973)
MUSÉE DE L’HOMME / NOUVELLE SALLE D’AMÉRIQUE. 1939.
23½x15½ inches, 59½x39¼ cm. Bedos et Cie., Paris.
To promote the opening of the American room in the Musée de l’Homme (the Parisian Ethnological Museum), Falck uses an adept and striking graphic tactic. Utilizing a modern approach to highlight an ancient art form, he employs a photograph (taken by H.P. Herdeg) of a Central American clay sculpture, against a background of Native American frescos. The typography is cleverly arranged around the image, helping to create an interesting document from the days when ethnology and the exhibition of primitive art were still fairly new.
Condition A. Paper. Matted and framed.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
René ravo (1904-1998)
ALIMENT NO. 1 LE POISSON. Circa 1955.
44¾x61¼ inches, 113½x155½ cm. Réunies de Lyon, [Lyon.]
An aquatic and culinary alphabet of the most ingenious devising to promote the benefits of seafood.
Condition A-: minor repaired tears at edges; minor creases and offsetting in image.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Various artists
VERVE. Bound Vol. I & Vol. IV, No. 13. 1938-9 & 1945.
Each approximately 14x10½ inches, 35½x26½ cm. Verve, Paris.
Includes: bound Vol. 1 (Nos. 2, 3, 4), with nine color lithographs by Kandinsky, Masson, Chagall, Miro, Ratner, Klee & Matisse, all printed by Mourlot; lithographed covers by Braque, Bonnard & Rouault. Number 2 (March-June, 1938), Number 3 (October-December, 1938) and Number 4 (January-March, 1939). Vol IV, No. 13 includes 2 pochoir Matisse plates. Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A-: Vol. 1: minor abrasions and wear to cover and spine; slight darkening of endpapers and inside pages. In publisher’s binding, thick folio, red cloth with silver-lettered spine and cover. Vol. IV: offsetting on Matisse paper covers; contents detached from spine, missing some pages.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Marcello nizzoli (1887-1969)
CORDIAL CAMPARI LIQUOR. 1926.
74½x52¾ inches, 189¼x134 cm. Star, Milan.
Nizzoli, who was an architect by training and considered one of the first Italian industrial designers (working for Olivetti), began his advertising career with the Maga agency in 1924. He was a bold artist with a strong sense of composition. Campari, a company with a long tradition of commissioning great artists, employed Nizzoli to design two posters. They are both neo-cubist still lifes, with the bottle represented in majesty. This is the larger version. Nizzoli p. 11, Weill 276, Bolaffi p. 160, Menegazzi p. 171, Crouse p. 191.
Condition A-: minor creases and abrasions in margins and image; minor abrasions along seam. Two-sheets.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
Marcello nizzoli (1887-1969)
“CAMPARI” / L’APERITIVO. 1926.
76x54½ inches, 193x138½ cm. Star, Milan.
For this, his other Campari commission, Nizzoli was likely influenced by Fernand Léger’s Le Syphon (featuring a glass and seltzer bottle). This is the Italian version. Nizzoli p. 10, Menegazzi p. 171, Crouse p. 190, L’Affiche Art Deco p. 230.
Condition A: minor repaired tears along seam; minor creases in margins and image. Two-sheets.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
Marchesi (dates unknown)
AMARETTI DI SARONNO / LAZZARONI. 1932.
77x54 inches, 195½x137 cm. F.LLI Bonetti, Milan.
Condition A-: creases and abrasions in margins; minor repaired tears and restoration at edges and along seam. Two-sheets.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
American Modernism
Arthur jerome eddy (1859-1920)
CUBISTS / POST - IMPRESSIONISM. 1914.
9½x6 inches, 24x15¼ cm. A.C. McClurg & Co., Chicago.
Includes twenty-two reproductions in color of Cubist and Post-Impressionist Paintings and approximately forty-six half-tone illustrations.
Condition B+: flaking and abrasions at edges of covers; wear and abrasions to covers and spine; slight separation inside; pages slightly toned at edges. Bookplate in front cover.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Alfred h. barr, jr. (1902-1981)
CUBISM AND ABSTRACT ART / THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART. Two duplicate volumes. 1936.
Each 10½x7¾ inches, 26½x19½ cm. The Spiral Press, New York.
Includes two duplicate copies, in varying condition, of the first edition, from a run of 3000 printed for Trustees of MoMA in 1936. Each featuring the iconic dust jacket design by Barr himself. Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally B+: some staining and wear to original tan cloth covers with red lettering; losses, tears and creases to paper dust jackets; each includes original errata sheet tipped onto the backside of the title-page; foxing inside.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,000
Edward mcknight kauffer (1890-1954) & louis lozowick (1892-1973)
[ART DECO DUST JACKETS]. Group of 5 hardcover books. 1928-1936.
Sizes vary, each approximately 8¾x6¾ inches, 22¼x17 cm.
Group includes: Dance of the Machines (1929), with Lozowick jacket; and Things to Come (1935), The Open Conspiracy (1928), and The Diary of a Communist Schoolboy (1928) with Kauffer jackets; and Man Who Could Work Miracles (1936), by H.G. Wells (jacket is a photo reproduction). Images available upon request.
Condition varies, some with losses and abrasions to jackets; one missing original jacket.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Edward mcknight kauffer (1890-1954)
[GOTHAM BOOK MART LOGO DESIGN]. Original ink maquette. Circa 1950s.
10¼x7¾ inches, 26x19½ cm.
With the inscription, “Designed for Frances Steloff, by E. McKnight Kauffer.” Steloff founded Gotham Book Mart on 47th street in New York City in 1920, focusing on the Modernists and Avant-Garde authors, and hosting literary clubs like the James Joyce Society. Kauffer was a regular attendant of GBM events, alongside many other artists and writers.
Condition B+: tape and tape residue at top edge and in corners; unobtrusive tape residue on verso; slight toning; ink with pencil on thick paper; hand-signed and inscribed by the artist in ink. Matted and framed.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
A.h. brand (dates unknown)
[CHARACTERGRAMS INC.] Group of 4 posters. 1927.
Each 28¾x20 inches, 73x50¾ cm. The Vamos Corporation, New York.
A rare series of motivational posters, referred to as “Charactergrams,” this exceptional group of posters combine eye-catching graphics, messages, and a list of famous people known for those qualities being promoted. Group includes: Honesty; Thoughtfulness; Kindness and Duty. Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally B+ / A-: minor losses, small tears, creases and darkening at edges. Paper.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Jill mitchell (dates unknown)
GRAPHIC ARTS EXPOSITION / GRAND CENTRAL PALACE N.Y.C. 1927.
27½x19 inches, 69¾x48¼ cm.
Rare. We could find no other examples at auction.
Condition A-: minor expert restoration and overpainting at edges.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
William addison dwiggins (1880-1956)
THE ARCHITECT & THE INDUSTRIAL ARTS / 11TH EXHIBITION OF CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN DESIGN. 1928.
21½x15½ inches, 54½x39½ cm.
This exhibition, which originally ran from February 12 to March 24, 1929, was so successful that it stayed up through September. Although not stated in as many words, the exhibition was a showcase of American Art Deco interior design and architecture. Considered to be the American response to the 1925 Art Deco Exhibition in Paris, the interiors were designed by Joseph Urban, Ely Jacques Kahn, Ralph T. Walker, Eugene Schoen, John Wellborn Root, Eliel Saarinen, Raymond Hood and Armistead Fitzhugh.
Writing in the March 9, 1919 issue of The New Yorker Magazine, the architect critic George S. Chappell wrote, “The show … should not be missed. From the poster [Dwiggins’] on the outside to the entrance of the exhibition gallery inside one is guided by colorful signposts … ”
“W.A. Dwiggins was responsible for the graphics for The Architect and the Industrial Arts exhibition. He designed the poster, the exhibition labels, and contributed a cover design and ornaments to the catalogue. His work was thoroughly in keeping with the Art Deco aesthetics of the designs created by the Cooperating Committee members” (Paul Shaw Letter Design).
“The poster for The Architect and the Industrial Arts was designed in late 1928. It is set in Futura Medium, which had reached the American market earlier that year. The typography, with the text letterspaced, justified (except for the top line which is centered) and placed within rules, is typical of Art Deco in its emphasis on symmetry. Dwiggins’ “concrete-mixer” abstract stencil ornaments — actually one design and a variant — in blue, orange and olive complete the moderne look. Dwiggins rarely designed posters and the few of them that he did, including this one for The Architect and the Industrial Arts, are all relatively small. It is unclear if the poster was distributed in the city or if it was only used internally at the museum.” (ibid)
Though not widely known by name, Dwiggins literally coined the term "Graphic Design" in 1922 to describe his process of book design as a melding of typesetting, illustration and design. A creative virtuoso, Dwiggins worked on projects ranging from typography, painting, puppetry and furniture to kite design, but was most prominent in the publishing and print world. Known in close circles as "WAD," he established the style of publisher Alfred A. Knopf's books, and developed at least a dozen typefaces including Caledonia and Electra. Dwiggins created the original logotype for General Motors, and worked for publications such as Life and Harper's. He also served as director of the Harvard University Press, and founded the Society of Calligraphers in Boston. This is one of the very few posters he designed. Rare. The Met 1928.2.
Condition A-: small tear at bottom edge; minor creases, abrasions and slight darkening at edges; pencil notation in upper right corner. Paper.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Alexei brodovitch, joseph binder & paolo garretto
[FORTUNE & HARPER’S BAZAAR]. Group of 11 magazine covers. 1930s.
Sizes vary, each approximately 13x9½ inches, 33x24¼ cm.
Group includes: two Harper’s Bazaar covers by Brodovitch (Jan ‘36 & Feb ‘39); two Fortune covers by Binder (Dec ‘ 37 & May ‘38); and two Fortune covers by Garretto (Aug ‘ 21, Jan ‘33 & Aug ‘38). Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A-: minor creases and abrasions at edges; some matted. Paper.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Hugo gellert (1892-1985)
DAILY WORKER / COMMUNIST PARTY. Circa 1935.
38¼x25 inches, 97x63½ cm.
Hungarian-born Gellert arrived in the United States with his family when he was 14 years old. He became a painter, printmaker and muralist. An avowed Socialist and eventually a member of the Communist party, his work is overtly political, but Gellert also worked as a staff artist for New Yorker Magazine and the New York Times in the 1920s. He is considered to be among the most influential American politcal artists in the era between the wars. The Daily Worker, published by the Communist Party USA, went into print in 1924 and ceased publication in 1958. Originally printed in Chicago, the publication moved its headquarters to New York City in 1927.
Condition B+: small tears and slight darkening at edges; tape on verso; creases in margins and image and along horizontal fold. Paper.
Estimate
$5,000 – $7,500
Charles buckles falls (1874-1960)
[ART DECO / NEW YEAR’S]. Group of 12 posters. 1920s-1930s.
Sizes vary, each approximately 28x20¾ inches, 71x52¾ cm.
Includes two duplicates. Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally B+ / B. Paper, some on linen.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,000
Various artists
POSTER ALBUM OF COLOR COMBINATIONS / THE AULT & WIBORG COMPANY. Two volumes. 1938 & 1942.
Each 12½x9½ inches, 31¾x24¼ cm. Ault & Wiborg, Toronto.
Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally B+: 1938 with some water damage and ink staining; each spiral bound with back leather cover cut off.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Herbert bayer (1900-1985)
[BAYER DESIGNS]. Group of 7 books and catalogues. 1930s.
Sizes vary.
Group includes: Nur 10 Jahre Marz (1931); Jagd Durch das Tausendjahrige Land (1932); Wunder Des Lebens (1934); Gebrauchsgraphik International Advertising Art (April 1936); Gebrauchsgraphik (October 1938); Der Arbeiter und Die Bildende Kunst (1938); and PM, Vol 6, No. 2 (1939). Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A-.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Lester beall (1903-1969)
[ADVERTISING PROOFS / ENTRIES]. Group of 5 ads. 1936-1938.
Sizes vary, each approximately 16¼x12½ inches, 41¼x31¾ cm.
Group includes: one ad for Hiram Walker (1936), a Canadian Whiskey distillery; two for George Bijur, Inc. (1938), a Manhattan advertising agency; and two for Time Magazine (1938). Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A-: each on LB stamped letterhead, mounted to illustration boards; paper taped to verso with submission information and handwritten notations.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,000
Lester beall (1903-1969)
RURAL ELECTRIFICATION ADMINISTRATION. 1937.
40x30 inches, 101½x76¼ cm.
One of the greatest American posters of the 20th Century, Beall's optimistic, patriotic and progressive image is a monumental work whose aesthetic simplicity masks a complex design that reveals "the artist's distinctly American counterpart to European modernism" (Mechanical Age p. 174). In fact, in many ways this image can be seen as the American version of El Lissitsky's Russische Ausstellung (see Swann Sale 2039, lot 77), with the boy and the girl gazing hopefully and happily into their future. "The image speaks for itself in this almost-textless photomontage, a brilliant combination of realism and abstraction. These are 'poster children' for the REA - happy beneficiaries of the program, in the present and the future . . . The flag motif serves several purposes. It signifies the overarching protection of the New Deal; the 'matched' white stripes and fence rails subtly reinforce the connection between America and the farm; and it provides further visual interest, as the band of blue below the stripes somehow still functions as sky."
Beall 114, Mechanical Age pl. 58, Resnick 30, Modern Poster 186, MoMA 221.1937.
Condition B+: repaired tear at bottom edge, into text; repaired tears, creases and abrasions at edges; archival tape and hinges on verso; partial silkscreen. Paper.
Estimate
$12,000 – $18,000
Designer unknown
GENERAL MOTOR AT THE NEW YORK WORLD’S FAIR. 1939.
48x35¾ inches, 122x90¾ cm.
A rare poster for the most popular exhibit at the New York World's Fair in 1939: General Motors' Futurama. The entire General Motors "Highways and Horizons exhibit occupied a seven-acre site on the Avenue of Transportation" (World of Tomorrow p. 108). The Futurama itself was a detailed model of America in the future (the world in 1960, a distant 20 years from the time of the fair), over and around which visitors were whisked while sitting in sound chairs on a carry-go-round. Looking down on the model, visitors listened to a narrator explain all that they were seeing.
The exhibition, "designed by Norman Bel Geddes, covers more than 35,000 square feet and contains 500,000 individually designed houses and buildings and over 1,000,000 trees and shrubs of 18 species and 50,000 scale model vehicles" (General Motors Exhibit Building / New York World's Fair, 1939, brochure). The ride, which covered countryside, highways and future cities, ended up with visitors actually standing in a full-scale street intersection of the future. "It was all brilliantly conceived-a magnificently entertaining journey into the future by hundreds of thousands of consumers-only to be dropped off onto a '1960' stage set filled with the gleaming, streamlined [General Motors] products of 1939 just waiting to be bought" (World of Tomorrow p. 111).
Condition B+: minor creases and wrinkling throughout; minor repaired tears at edges, tape on verso; slight time-staining at edges; minor foxing in bottom margin. Printed on glossy paper.
Estimate
$5,000 – $7,500
Lester beall (1903-1969)
EUROPE / UNITED STATES LINES. Circa 1952.
29½x21½ inches, 75x54½ cm.
In the 1930s, after a traditional education in Chicago, Lester Beall became interested in avant-garde typography and the design elements of the Bauhaus. He moved to New York in 1935, where he began a successful career as an art director. He created world-acclaimed logos and corporate identities for such companies as American International Paper, Merrill Lynch, Caterpillar, Martin Marietta and the New York Hilton. His goal was always to get his clients out of what he called “the vast anonymity.” He strove to achieve this goal with graphics as simple, efficient and readable as possible, as exemplified here with the S.S. United States in the middle of a patriotically-colored arrow pointing toward the word “Europe.” Beall p. 73.
Condition A: minor restoration at edges.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,000
Lester beall (1903-1969)
S.S. AMERICA / UNITED STATES LINES. Circa 1952.
29½x21½ inches, 75x54½ cm.
In 1937, Beall was the first American designer to have a one-man show at the Museum of Modern Art. He designed at least six posters for the United States Lines, each with a crisp, efficient, modern graphic treatment, and realized with a contemporary dynamic vision.
Condition A: minor abrasions at edges.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,000
Ben shahn (1898-1969)
A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND. 1948.
45x29 inches, 114¼x73½ cm. Amalgamated Lithographers of America, New York.
A Good Man is Hard to Find is not a traditional campaign poster; it is more of a political cartoon or caricature, touting neither of the men depicted, but rather the unseen third Progressive Party candidate. "His intent was to present the two major parties as indistinguishable, with only the Progressive Party offering the voters a bid for change" (Prescott p. 133). "The two candidates [Dewey and Truman], on whom Shahn obviously looked with equal suspicion, are ingeniously placed, Dewey atop a piano and Truman at its keyboard, before sheets of music whose titles are a vital part of the artist's satirical message . . . Details are handled with remarkable acuteness: the strained cordiality of Dewey's smile . . . the wrinkles in Truman's trousers and the amateurish flourish with which his right hand strikes a chord; the definition of both candidates' feet. Yet distortions and elisions are just as important, as in the aggrandizement of the two politicians' heads and the subtle way in which Truman's eyeglasses are left blank and the teeth of both men are frozen in bright evenness. This is an image intended to provoke laughter regardless of one's political convictions" (Soby, Graphic Arts, p. 17).
Prescott p. 158, Images of an Era 8, American Style 72, MoMA 23.1951.
Condition A- / B+: minor repaired tears at edges; minor abrasions in upper right image. Mounted on paper.
Estimate
$6,000 – $9,000
Herbert matter (1907-1984)
KNOLL. 1948.
18x14¼ inches, 45¾x36¼ cm.
After establishing himself as a successful designer and photographer both in his native Switzerland and in the commercial world of New York City, Matter was hired by upstart furniture company Knoll as their primary graphic design consultant in 1946. Integrating varied artistic influences with his experience in photomontage, typography and commercial photography, Matter produced many stand-alone posters for Knoll during his 20-year tenure with the company. Unlike many of his other posters that feature specific furniture items, this small poster contains only the abstract suggestion of furniture in its geometric patterning, crediting the power of the brand’s name with the saleable information. “His work applied the principles of modernism to commercial design and helped define the postwar aesthetic in the United States, and he counted as friends or collaborators such artists as Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Willem de Kooning, and Jackson Pollock” (Guggenheim). Concurrently with his work at Knoll, Matter took on design and promotional projects with the Boston Museum of Art and the Guggenheim, perpetually fueling his designs with the evolving nature of modern art.
Condition B+: overpainting in image; overpainting and restoration at edges; red at top bleeding slightly into center image.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Charles eames (1907-1978) & ray eames (1912-1988)
[GIANT HOUSE OF CARDS]. Group of 17 cards. 1953.
Each 11x7 inches, 28x19¾ cm.
This is the larger version of Charles and Ray Eames' cards, constructed from 8-ply cardboard. This edition was also manufactured by Tigrett Enterprises and was in production from 1953 until 1961 when the company went out of business (https://eames.com/en/giant-house-of-cards).
Condition generally A-: minor creases and abrasions at edges; each on 8-ply cardboard, as issued. Without original box, and missing 3 cards.
Estimate
$400 – $600
John massey (1931- )
CHICAGO HAS A GREAT LAKE. 1968.
49½x34¾ inches, 125¾x88¼ cm. [Screen Print Diversified.]
Massey was a designer and art director who began working for the graphic-forward Container Corporation of America in 1957, eventually becoming that company’s director of design and advertising. He went on to form his own company, a subsidiary of CCA, called the Center for Advanced Research in Design (CARD). “His work is precise, yet emotional. Geometric, yet spiritual. Mathematical, but still feeling” (Graphis 135, vol 24, p. 10). “It was after a trip to Europe on which he had been impressed by the civic graphics of Zurich and other cities that John Massey conceived the idea of a planned civic graphics programme for Chicago . . . America’s first civic cultural communications programme seeks to express through graphic design the virtues and diversity of the city’s cultural life” (ibid. p. 14). Graphis 135, vol 24, p. 14, MoMA 1493.2000.
Condition B: large replaced loss in upper left corner and image; repaired tears at edges, some into image; replaced losses at edges, creases and overpainting at edges and in image; missing margins, as often seen, and printer’s text along upper left edge.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Various artists
[GRAPHIC DESIGN COVERS]. Group of 13 books.
Sizes vary, generally 6½x4½ inches, 16½x11½ cm.
Group includes: Thoughts on Design (1947), by Paul Rand; and 12 softcover books with covers by Kauffer, Rand, Gorey, Shahn and Giusti. Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A-.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Various artists
[FLAIR / EROS]. Group of 8 magazine issues. 1950s-60s.
Sizes vary, each approximately 13x10 inches, 33x25½ cm.
Group includes: three issues of Flair (Mar '50, May '50 & Jan '51), with covers by Gruau, Clavé and Sylvia Braverman; four issues of Eros (Vol 1-4, 1962); and Eros on Trial (1965), by Ralph Ginsburg. Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A- / A. Eros issues are hardcover.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Various artists
[AUDIENCE, GENTRY & AMERICAN FABRICS]. Group of 9 magazine issues.
Sizes vary.
Group includes: four issues of Audience, Vol. 1 no. 1, Vol. 1 no. 2, Vol. 2 no 2, & Vol. 2 no. 5 (1971-71); one issue of American Fabrics / Silk, cover by Dali (1957); and four issues of Gentry, No. 2 Spring ‘52, No. 4 Fall ‘52, No. 5 Holiday Issue ‘52, and No. 6 Spring ‘53. Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A-.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Alfonso iannelli (1886-1965)
[CHICAGO / ART DECO DESIGN]. Group of 5 posters. 1968.
Each approximately 41½x31½ inches, 104½x80 cm.
Group includes: George Whiting / Sadie Burt / “Songsayings”; Big City Four; Billy B. Van and the Beaumont Sisters; Alice Lloyd; and Three Beautiful Types. Out of a limited edition set of 6, printed in a run of 1000 by The Chicago Architecture Foundation with the estate’s permission. Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A-: minor scuffing in image. Silkscreen. Paper.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Various artists
THE ALPHABET. Portfolio of 26 plates. 1993-1995.
Each plate is 35x23 inches, 89x58½ cm. Ambassador Arts & Champion, [New York.]
Includes plates by Seymor Chwast, Paula Scher, Paul Davis, Rosemarie Tissi and others. Images available upon request.
Condition A. Each hand-signed by the artist in pencil. Some dated and numbered. Paper. In original cardboard portfolio.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Various artists
[AVANT GARDE / WESTVACO]. Group of 9 magazine issues.
Sizes vary.
Group includes: three issues of Westvaco, Nos. 48, 60 & 74, (1920s); and six issues of Avant Garde, Issues 8-10 & 12-14, (1969-1971). Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally B+.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Automobiles
Hans v. römer (1896-1970)
A.D.A.C. / WINTERFAHRT GARMISCH - PARTENKIRCHEN. 1925.
47¼x33½ inches, 120x85 cm. H. Sonntag, Munich.
This "1925 race was held on a course set up on frozen Lake Eibsee, situated on the outskirts of Garmisch-partenkirchen at the base of the Zugspitze, Germany's highest mountain" (Crouse p. 183). The Stoewer brothers, Bernhard Jr. and Emil, founded the ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club) in 1903 - today the largest automobile club, comprised of over seventeen million members. It is also the largest motorcycle association in the world, with 1.5 million members. Crouse p. 182, Auto s'Affiche p. 136.
Condition A-: small replaced loss in top margin; minor restoration at edges; minor creases and restoration in image and across lower left corner.
Estimate
$6,000 – $9,000
Lucio venna (giuseppe landsmann, 1897-1974)
3 CORSA AUTOMOBILISTIC CUNEO. 1927.
76½x53 inches, 194¼x134½ cm. Edizione Studio Venna Innocenti, Florence.
Lucio Venna was a painter and poster designer who joined the Futurist movement towards the end of the First World War. By the early 1920s, he abandoned painting and began to focus exclusively on posters designed in his characteristic style “with evident futurist geometries” (Bolaffi p. 119). This poster advertises a race in Cuneo, but “the racecourse itself actually ran through the Maddalena Pass, which connects the Maritime Alps with the Cottian Alps and Cuneo with Barcelonette, France. The design perfectly represents the varied topography of the Italian city, which is located in a tree-lined valley at the base of the mountains. The Stura di Demonte river is depicted at the left” (ibid). Here, Venna’s design “conveys a remarkable sense of depth through nothing more than simple geometric planes of color. There is a collage-like feel to the shapes, as if they were layered pieces of paper and not printed ink” (ibid). Rare. Crouse p. 177.
Condition B: replaced losses and repaired tears in margins; replaced losses, repaired tears, creases and overpainting in margins and along vertical and horizontal folds. Two-sheets.
Estimate
$15,000 – $20,000
Greif (dates unknown)
PONTIAC 6 / PRODUCTION GENERAL MOTORS. 1928.
62x46¾ inches, 157½x118¾ cm. Office d’Editions d’Art, Paris.
For this commission by General Motors’ Éditions d’Art agency, Greif presents “a driverless sedan (presumably so that passersby could mentally picture themselves inside the vehicle) streaking uphill below the lofty presence of the Pontiac Indian” (Crouse p. 51). The dramatic diagonal forms and brushstroke effect enhance the sense of speed, and the limited color palette ties the design together with the text. Rare. Crouse p. 50.
Condition B / B+: repaired tear through upper left text; repaired tears at edges; minor repaired tears, creases, abrasions and overpainting along vertical and horizontal folds.
Estimate
$7,000 – $10,000
Alexis kow (alexei kogeynikov, 1901-1978)
SALMSON. Circa 1929.
62¾x42¾ inches, 159¼x108½ cm. J.E. Goosens, Paris.
Art Deco p.185, Auto s’Affiche p. 6, L’Affiche Art Deco p. 185.
Condition B+: repaired tears, overpainting and foxing in margins; repaired tears, creases and restoration in margins and along vertical and horizontal folds.
Estimate
$6,000 – $9,000
Paolo federico garretto (1903-1991)
AMILCAR / ELLE EST PASSÉE! 1929.
45½x60¾ inches, 115½x154¼ cm. H. Chachoin, Paris.
Garretto employs two established visual techniques to help convey his message; the advertised car has passed out of the frame, leaving only tire tracks and a plume of smoke behind. Yet, clearly it was such a car that it caught the eye and the attention of a trendy and handsomely dressed couple, who stand on the street corner looking after it. For the rest of us who were too slow to see it, there happens to be a poster within the poster depicting the car (ingeniously posted over other posters, whose corners are visible). Garretto was primarily a political cartoonist who became an international artistic star in the 1920s. He also received large commissions from American magazines like Vanity Fair, and began spending three or four months every year in the States. Auto s'Affiche p. 66.
Condition B+: repaired tears and printer’s creases at edges, some into image. Framed.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
H.p. gourry (dates unknown)
PAU / GRAND PRIX. 1930.
52¾x35½ inches, 134x90 cm.
Rare.
Condition B: creases and abrasions along vertical and horizontal folds; water staining and sharp creasing along bottom edge into text; offsetting in title and image; tax stamps in upper right corner; lower text trimmed off; margins trimmed; mounted on thin board.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Harry whincap (dates unknown)
“BP” / THE SPIRIT FOR SPEED. Circa 1930s.
38x27 inches, 96½x68½ cm.
Rare.
Condition B+: extensive expert overpainting in margins.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Pachelo (dates unknown)
COPA EMILIO SAINT. 1933.
29x21 inches, 73½x53¼ cm. Saint Hnos., Buenos Aires.
The Emilio Saint Cup was "an approximately 250-mile coastal race run between Mar del Plata and Florencio Varela. Though no longer in existence, the race was named for Emilio Saint, President of the Automovil Club Argentino from 1931-1935" (Crouse p. 176). Rare. Crouse p. 176.
Condition B: replaced losses in margins and corners; repaired tears, creases and restoration in margins and image and along vertical and horizontal folds.
Estimate
$8,000 – $12,000
Filippo romoli (1901-1969)
ACQUI / CONCORSO INTERNAZIONALE DI ELEGANZA PER AUTOMOBILI. 1933.
39¼x27½ inches, 99¾x69¾ cm. Barabino & Graeve, Genova.
Romoli was a prolific Art Deco designer who worked primarily with the printer, Barabino and Graeve. This poster, for a car show in the spa town of Acqui, is his masterpiece. Affiche Art Deco p. 39, Auto s'Affiche p. 236.
Condition B+: small repaired tears at edges; creases and minor abrasions in image and along vertical and horizontal folds; repaired pin holes in corners. Mounted on Chartex.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Alberto bianchi (1882-1969)
ARDITA / FIAT. 1933.
75½x53 inches, 191½x134½ cm. Istituto Italiano D’Arti Grafiche, Bergamo.
Bianchi was a book illustrator and poster designer whose imagery focused primarily on beautiful women. His poster for Croisieres / Cosulich (see Swann Sale 2484 Lot 403) similarly depicts a fashionable woman on the bow of the ship, waving her arm as her scarf blows in the wind. This is the smaller, two-sheet format; the large format is four-sheets. Fiat p. 151, Bolaffi p. 19, Auto s'Affiche p. 234.
Condition A-: creases, abrasions and minor restoration along vertical and horizontal folds. Two-sheets. Framed.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Javier gómez acebo & máximo viejo santamarta (dates unknown)
SAN SEBASTIAN / XI CIRCUITO AUTOMOVILISTA. 1935.
39x27½ inches, 99x69¾ cm. Laborde y Labayan, Tolosa.
“The idyllic Bay of Biscay, in Spain’s Basque Country, contrasts with the racer’s determined stare to marvelous effect in this promotion for the eleventh Spanish Grand Prix, held on the circuito Lasarte road course at Lasarte-Oria, in the province of Guipuzcoa, near the resort town of San Sebastian” (Crouse p. 172). Crouse p. 173.
Condition B+: repaired tears, creases and abrasions along sharp vertical and horizontal folds; minor repaired tears at edges.
Estimate
$10,000 – $15,000
Alfred hierl (1910-1950)
GRAND PRIX / NÜRBURGRING. 1939.
46¾x33 inches, 118¾x83¾ cm.
Not much biographical information is known about Hierl, a German artist from Munich. He designed several posters for car and motorcycle races and in 1936, he won a silver medal in the art competitions of the Berlin Olympic Games for his poster Internationales Avusrennen (“International Avus Race”). He was an official war artist during World War II. The artist’s design choice to extend the flag pole past the image, through to the bottom of the poster, sets the viewer right next to the track, with just a slightly obscured view of the race. The Nürburgring, constructed in 1927, is one of the most famous racetracks in the world.
Condition A-: minor abrasions and restoration at edges and along vertical and horizontal folds; minor repaired tears at edges; slight darkening at bottom right corner; unobtrusive repaired pin holes in corners.
Estimate
$7,000 – $10,000
Designer unknown
MERCEDES - BENZ / GROSSER PREIS VON BELGIEN. 1939.
27x18½ inches, 68½x47 cm.
According to an article by Frank Barrett in the Jan/Feb 2007 issue of <i>The Star</i> (the national magazine of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America), their Sept/Oct 1960 issue "offered three 1930s factory race posters for just $10.00, postpaid." The smaller and later printings of this 1939 design have been coming up for sale for years now, and have gained value of their own. The original posters are 23x32 inches, and rarely come up for auction.
Condition A-: small replaced losses and repaired pin holes in corners; small repaired tears, minor creases and restoration at edges.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Designer unknown
ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL / RADIUM DIALS. Circa 1942.
25½x17¼ inches, 64¾x43¾ cm. Haefeli & Co., Switzerland.
Rolex's original patent for their "Error Proof Radium dials," which became known (in the 1980s) as the 'California Dial,' was granted on June 15, 1942. Ironically their proof-reading was not error-proof, as the word 'Radium' is misspelled here where it first appears. The design of the face of the bubble-back watch features a combination of bold Arabic and Roman numerals. The patent states, "that this particular arrangement will give a clear view of the hours, will be easy to create with luminous materials, and will allow easy reading of the time – especially within wristwatch cases, where the dials are relatively small." The dial is a significant milestone in Rolex history, as it became the basis for the dials on the company's Submariner, Sea-Dweller and GMT Master watches. Rolex purists have also pointed out the unusual crown logo on this poster. Rolex ceased use of radium in 1963, due to the cancer-causing nature of the element. Rare.
Condition A-: minor restoration at edges and along creases in image.
Estimate
$6,000 – $9,000
Designer unknown
WORLD FAMOUS “B” SERIES ENGINE. Circa 1960s.
29¼x38¾ inches, 74¼x98½ cm. The Austin Motor Company Limited, Birmingham.
Condition B: small replaced losses at edges, repaired tears, creases and abrasions in margins and image; minor staining in lower text.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Erich strenger (1922-1993)
PORSCHE SEBRING. 1955.
23½x16¼ inches, 59¾x41¼ cm.
This is the German version. Porsche p. 15.
Condition A.
Estimate
$500 – $750
D’après pierre delarue - nouvellière (1889-1973)
SALT BEDS / “ÉTOILE FILANTE” RENAULT. 1956.
15½x30¾ inches, 39½x78 cm. P. Charliat, Paris.
The “Etoile Filante” (Shooting Star) set the land speed record for turbine cars in 1956. Driven by Jean Hebert, who was also one of the car’s designers, the futuristic vehicle was over 5 meters long. The incredible international popularity of the event helped Renault expand their American business.
Condition A / A-: slight foxing at left edge, minor creases in image. Paper.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Hanns lohrer (1912-1995)
PORSCHE / THE SPORT FOR MEN WITH PERSONALITY. 1962.
46¼x33½ inches, 117½x85 cm.
Hanns Lohrer worked as a commercial graphic designer for Porsche in the 1950s and 60s. The Porsche museum in Germany held an exhibit of his works in 2012, noting that a highlight of the collection is a “series of posters designed by Hanns Lohrer in 1961 depicting the Porsche 356 in the context of sports such as golfing, hunting or horse riding. Typical of Porsche’s prestigious advertising during that era, the bold colours of the sports equipment dominated the sports car which was shown in small scale.” Not in Porsche.
Condition A-: minor repaired tears at edges; small replaced loss in upper left corner; minor creases in margins.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Atelier erich strenger (1922-1993)
[PORSCHE]. Group of 4 posters. 1966-1968.
Sizes vary, each approximately 46¼x33¼ inches, 117½x84¼ cm.
Group includes: 50. Targa Florio (1966); Rallye Monte Carlo (1966); Les 24 Heures du Mans(1966); andEuropa Bergmeister (1968). Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally B+ / A-.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Atelier erich strenger (1922-1993)
[PORSCHE]. Group of 5 posters. 1970-1977.
Sizes vary.
Group includes: 1000 Kilometer Osterreichring (1970); Monza (1970); Interserie (1970); and 24 Std. Le Mans (1977). Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A- / B+.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Motorcycles & Bicycles
Designer unknown
NSU / MOTORRÄDER TOUREN U. SPORTMODELLE. Circa 1922.
38½x26½ inches, 96½x67¼ cm. Dipl. Ing. von Loewe, Steglitz.
Condition B+ / B: repaired tears at edges, some slightly into image; creases and minor abrasions in margins and image; minor tape stain at upper right margin; mounted on thin linen, attached at edges to foamcore. Framed.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Marcello nizzoli (1887-1969)
MOTOSACOCHE. 1927.
50½x35½ inches, 128¼x90¼ cm. “Maga,” Geneva.
Nizzoli, who was an architect by training and considered one of the first Italian industrial designers (working for Olivetti), began his advertising career with the Maga agency in 1924. He was a bold artist with a strong sense of composition. In 1921, Dudovich and Nizzoli (along with Martinati) were appointed artistic directors of IGAP (Impresa Generale Affissioni Pubblicità). In this primary colored composition, “a 346cc Motosacoche 304 Tourisme motorcycle takes to the lemon-yellow sky, freed from the shackles of gravity, taking chunks of the mountain with it as it rises to new heights” (Crouse p. 60). Motosacoche grew to be the largest Swiss motorcycle manufacturer in the early 20th century, but its popularity steadily declined after the 1930s, finally ceasing motorcycle production in 1958. Crouse p. 60.
Condition A-: minor repaired tears and restoration at edges; small replaced loss at right edge.
Estimate
$10,000 – $15,000
Hans d. voss (1926-1980)
KESTEIN MOTORRIJWEIL. Gouache maquette. 1932.
33¾x52¾ inches, 85¾x134 cm.
Voss designed at least one other poster for this Dutch bicycle company.
Condition B+: small tears and losses at edges; pin holes in corners. Painted on thick paper.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Anibal tejada (1897-?)
BICICLETAS ORBEA. 1933.
39¼x27½ inches, 99½x69¾ cm. Laborde y Labayan, Tolosa.
This poster illustrates “the bicycle in an almost dreamy manner, spotlighting it in cobalt against a pastel-hued background. One could almost miss the fact that the strong, masculine figure riding the bike is holding a trophy, presumably implying the award-winning status of the brand. Indeed, the bike’s color and positioning cause the eye to narrow in on the bright orange label identifying it as an Orbea” (Crouse p. 129). Rare. Crouse p. 129.
Condition B: replaced upper left corner; repaired tears at edges, some into image; creases and scuffing in margins and image and along vertical and horizontal folds.
Estimate
$3,500 – $4,500
Various artists
[CYCLING RACES]. Two posters. 1956-1957.
Each 32½x22¾ inches, 82½x57¾ cm.
Includes DDR-Rundfahrt (1956), and X. Friedensfahrt / Prag Berlin Warschau (1957). Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A-. Paper.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Signature illegible
24 HORAS / MOTOCICLISTAS DE MONTJUICHI / PIRELLI. 1956.
38¼x26¾ inches, 97x68 cm. Igol, Barcelona.
Condition B+ / A-: repaired tears at top edge, slightly into image; small replaced losses in corners; minor creases in margins and image.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Various artists
[MOTORCYCLES / RACING]. Group of 4 posters. 1953-1966.
Sizes vary.
Group includes: Motodrom / Hockenheim; IV Gran Premio de Espana; V Gran Premio de Espana; and VII Gran Premio de Espana, by Joaquim Granell. Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A / A-. One paper.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Various artists
[CZECH CYCLING]. Group of 3 posters. 1960s.
Sizes vary, each approximately 31x22 inches, 78¾x58¾ cm.
Group includes: XIII. Zavod Miru (1960), XVII. / Berlin-Prag-Warschau (1965), and Championnats du Monde Cyclists Brno (1969), by Y. Cihelka. Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A- / A.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Various artists
[INTERNATIONAL CYCLING PEACE RACE]. Group of 3 posters.
Sizes vary, each approximately 38x25 inches, 96½x63½ cm.
Group includes: XV. Zavod Miru (1962), by Jac-Kal; XIX Praha Warszawa Berlin (1966) by Urbaniec; and 34. Mezinarodni Zavod Miru /Frieden Mir Pokoj Paix (1981), by Y. Cihelka. Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Various artists
[HARLEY - DAVIDSON / RACES]. Two posters. 1971-1972.
Sizes vary.
Includes Harley-Davidson Sweeps Atlanta 9/10/72 and Louisville Harley-Davidson Wins 6/7/71. Images available upon request.
Condition A. Silkscreen.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
European Post-War
Patrick cokayne keely (1901-1970)
FENCE OR GUARD ALL OPENINGS. 1941.
29x18½ inches, 73½x47 cm. Loxley Bros. Ltd., [London.]
Condition B+: replaced losses, creases and overpainting in margins; minor creases in image; repaired pin holes in corners.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Abram games (1914-1996)
A.T.S. 1942.
28¼x19 inches, 71¾x48¼ cm. James Haworth & Brother Ltd, London.
Born in Whitechapel, London, Abram Games became one of Britain’s foremost graphic artists. Largely self-taught, Games opened his studio in 1936 and before the war, was already designing posters for major clients such as Shell, The London Transport and The National Post-Office. In 1942, he was appointed the “Official War Poster Designer” at the War Office, in which capacity he created more than 100 posters, and became the key person for British war communication. This image followed Games’ controversial 1941 poster for the ATS [Auxiliary Territorial Service], which featured a “blonde bombshell” - an image considered to racy to be used on that original poster. Not in Games.
Condition A-: minor abrasions and restoration at edges and along vertical and horizontal folds.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Abram games (1914-1996)
CURIOSITY IGNORANCE BRAVADO. 1943.
28¾x19¼ inches, 73x49 cm. Alf Cooke Ltd, Leeds and London.
During the war, Games used photography and surrealism to create dramatic warnings. This image is from a series he designed for the War Office in 1942 and 1943 that was intended to help prevent accidents. When the poster was reproduced in the World Press News in November 1943, it was noted that even small, and in black and white, the image “conveys an extraordinarily powerful impression” (Games p. 53). Games p. 57.
Condition A: minor creases and abrasions at edges. Paper.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Manfred reiss (1922-1987)
FLY BEA / BRITISH EUROPEAN AIRWAYS. 1954.
39¾x24½ inches, 101x62¼ cm. Brown Knight & Truscott Ltd., London.
Born in Germany, Reiss and his family emigrated to Britain in 1937, where he went on to become a prominent graphic designer. By the late-1940s and early-1950s, he was one of the most prolific British poster designers. His major clients were the General Post Office and the Post Office Savings Bank, but he also worked for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. Reiss’ posters are always cleanly designed and easy to understand, often composed of simple drawings with a photomontage or photographed elements, plus a touch of humor. In that humorous vein, comes his image, where a traveler has a propellor for a hat and his body is a contorted route map, visually suggesting that with air travel, distant parts of the world get closer.
Condition B+: repaired tears at edges; creases in margins and image; metal grommets in corners; margins trimmed to edge of poster.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Abram games (1914-1996)
FLY TO BRITAIN BY B.O.A.C. 1949.
30x19½ inches, 76¼x49½ cm.
In post-war Britain, competition between the different airlines was fierce, and so, the airline companies hired the best graphic designers in the field, such as F.K. Henrion, Ashley Havinden and Abram Games, to help them advertise. At the time when Games was creating a series of posters for B.O.A.C., the trend among artists was not to illustrate the actual airplanes (as had been the style in the thirties), but instead to advertise the advantages of flying, such as saved travel time. In order to capture these concepts, the designers created beautiful, symbolic and surrealistically-inspired images that quite poetically captured the abstract concepts they were advertising. Here, Games literally folds the map, narrowing the span of the Atlantic and ensuring a much quicker flight to Britain on the Speedbird. Another text variant says "Fly the Atlantic by B.O.A.C." (See Swann Sale 2510 Lot 156). Games fig. 125, IPA 51 no. 54.
Condition A-: creases and abrasions at upper right edge and corner; minor abrasions at edges. Framed.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Buttgen (dates unknown)
BOEING JET INTERCONTINENTAL / LUFTHANSA. Circa 1960.
39x24¼ inches, 99x61½ cm.
Airline Identity cover (var) and p. 298.
Condition A- / B+: small loss at bottom right edge; minor creases and abrasions at edges; slight darkening across upper text. Paper.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Atelier blattler
CENTRO SPORTIVO ITALIANO / CAMPIONATI NAZIONALI STUDENTESCHI. 1949.
37½x26¼ inches, 95¼x66½ cm. Artero, Rome.
Condition B+: small replaced losses and repaired tears at edges.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Various artists
[ANTI - ALCOHOL / VSESOKOLSKY SLET]. Group of 4 posters. 1948.
Each approximately 33½x24 inches, 85x61 cm.
Group includes: Alcohol is the Beginning of Evil / Disciplined Sokols Don’t Drink; Enjoy the Slet in Good Health / Don’t Eat Fifth Through the Ninth; Enjoy the Slet in Good Health / Wash Down the Risk of Infections; and Slet is Effort / Sleep Well So You Will Have More from Slet. Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A- / B+: vertical and horizontal folds. Paper.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Wolfgang alexander schlosser (1913-1984)
OSVOBOZENÁ CÍNA / [LIBERATED CHINA.] 1949.
37x24 inches, 94x61 cm. Statni Tiskarna, Prague.
Schlosser studied book design in Leipzig and art in Cologne and Prague. During World War II he fled to England, where he designed propaganda posters for the British Ministry of Information. Returning to Czechoslovakia after the war he worked as a graphic and exhibition designer. He is best remembered for the posters he designed for Czechoslovak Airlines (CSA) right after the war. After the Soviet invasion, Schlosser turned his artistic hand towards pro-state, anti-West propaganda and movie posters.
Condition A-: minor tears and abrasions at edges. Paper.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
John heartfield (1891-1968)
DIE MUTTER / BERLINER ENSEMBLE. 1951.
32½x23 inches, 82½x58½ cm. Brüder Heartfield Herzfelde.
Printed by his brother, Wieland Herzfelde, a German publisher and writer, using a photograph by Walter Meier, Heartfield is best known for his links with German avant-garde art and Marxist thought. This poster advertises the Berliner Ensemble’s performance of Brecht’s The Mother, based on the 1906 novel by Gorky. The play debuted in 1932, but this poster was printed for the occasion of its 1951 revival.
Condition A-: minor creases in margins and image; minor repaired tears with tape on verso in top right corner; pin holes in corners. Paper.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Hymmen (dates unknown)
DEUTSCHE BAU AUSSTELLUNG. 1949.
16x11½ inches, 40½x29 cm.
With reconstruction and renewal being prominent themes in Germany in the post-war years, exhibitions on construction and building were fairly common. Although this artist is unreferenced, his poster is an adept evocation of wire, brick and blueprint. It is a dynamic image of a confident future - just the tone Germany needed in those years.
Condition A-: small replaced loss at top edge; minor creases in corners.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Designer unknown
ATOM / SONDERSCHAU IM DEUTSCHEN MUSEUM MÜNCHEN. 1955.
40x29 inches, 101½x73½ cm.
Rare.
Condition A-: minor replaced losses and repaired tears at edges.
Estimate
$2,500 – $3,500
Erik nitsche (1908-1998)
USS NAUTILUS / GENERAL DYNAMICS. 1955.
49½x34¾ inches, 125¾x88¼ cm. R. Marsens, Lausanne.
Perhaps the most famous image in Nitsche's General Dynamics series, this depicts the USS Nautilus, one of the country's first nuclear powered submarines. "It was an indelible logo in its day. Set against a graduated gray background, the shell was a virtual cornucopia of progress. The submarine was not seen as a killing machine, but rather the offspring of progress poised to help the world" (Eric Nitsche: The Reluctant Modernist). It should be noted that the ongoing project to construct the Nautilus was so top secret that Nitsche was only provided a basic idea of what the submarine would ultimately look like. This is the English version from the initial Atoms for Peace series. Dynamic America p. 349, Encyclopedie de l'Affiche p. 104, Modern American 83, Margadant 228, MoMA 221.1956 (var).
Condition B+: repaired tears, creases and restoration at edges. Framed.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
Erik nitsche (1908-1998)
GENERAL DYNAMICS / SERVODYNAMICS. 1956.
50x35¾ inches, 127x90¾ cm. R. Marsens, Lausanne.
This is the Italian language poster from the Atoms for Peace series. Muller-Brockmann 265.
Condition B+: repaired tears and creases in image; restoration along top edge.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Erik nitsche (1908-1998)
GENERAL DYNAMICS / NUCLEODYNAMICS. 1956.
50½x35¾ inches, 128¼x90¾ cm. R. Marsens, Lausanne.
This is the Japanese language poster from the Atoms for Peace series.
Condition A-: minor repaired tears and creases at edges; repaired pin holes in corners.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Ernst a. heiniger (1909-1993)
SO TELEPHONIEREN. 1951.
49½x35 inches, 125¾x89 cm. Ringier & Co., Zofingen.
Heiniger was an accomplished artist, designer, photographer and cinematographer. Here, introducing the new technology of telephones to the general Swiss public, he accomplishes efficient information delivery by using a photomontage and an arrow to delineate where a person should speak so they can be heard clearly on the other end. He designed a number of posters, including several others promoting the use of telephones, each with a pronounced photographic element. “The large lettering is hand drawn, the telephone set and the face are separate photographs montaged together. This technique was the forerunner of Müller-Brockmann’s photographic road safety posters who owes a great deal to Heiniger” (Swiss Graphic Design p. 192). This is the German version. Swiss Graphic Design p. 192 (var).
Condition B+: slightly faded; minor time-staining at edges; minor repaired tears at edges; creases and minor abrasions at edges and in image.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Fritz buhler (1909-1963)
SERVIZIO METEOROLOGICO NO. 162. 1952.
49¾x35½ inches, 126¼x90 cm. Wassermann, Basel.
Swiss Posters p. 96.
Condition B+: minor repaired tears, small replaced losses, creases and abrasions at edges.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Hans fabigan (1901-1975)
PLAKATE FABIGAN. Circa 1955.
33x23¼ inches, 83¾x59 cm. Piller Druck, Vienna.
Condition A / A-: minor creases in margins; hinged to mount. Paper. Framed.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Hans thöni (1906-1980)
DER KLUGE REIST IM ZUGE. 1958.
49¾x35 inches, 126¾x89 cm. J.C. Müller, Bern.
Thöni studied at Kunstgewerbeschule in Zürich and trained for four years in Paris before opening his studio in Bern. As a freelance graphic designer, he worked as an illustrator, stamp and exhibition designer and a member of the Schweizer Grafiker Verband. His major contribution to poster art is a series of posters for the Swiss railway, in which he experimented with photomontage and collage. Swiss Poster Art 58.12.
Condition B / B+: repaired tears at edges, one through title; creases and abrasions at edges and in image; repaired pin holes in corners. Mounted on Japan.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Armin hofmann (1920- )
WILHELM TELL / BASLER FREILICHTSPIELE. 1963.
50½x35½ inches, 128¼x90 cm. Wassermann, [Basel.]
Steven Heller, writing in the catalogue of the artist’s work for the Zürich Museum, states that Hofmann’s posters “collectively epitomize mid-century modernism . . . [in his poster for] William Tell, he used the typically sonorous economy of his resources to show what a fundamental change applied art was undergoing. The Tell play is firmly established in popular Swiss culture . . . Hofmann takes up the indispensable symbols of the Tell legend, the apple and the arrow, but uses typeface and image to condense them into a symbolic abstraction of an elegance unparalleled for this subject matter.” Hofmann p. 65, Muller-Brockmann 113, The Poster p. 333, Modern Poster 229, Swiss Poster Art 63.2, Margadant 118, Encyclopedie de l’Affiche p. 242, MoMA 618.1981.
Condition A / A-: minor creases at edges and in image; minor abrasions at edges; hinge remnants on verso. Paper.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,000
Josef müller-brockmann (1914-1996)
OPERNHAUS ZÜRICH / FÜRST IGOR. 1967.
49¾x35 inches, 126¼x89 cm. Bollmann, Zurich.
Condition A-: minor creases and abrasions in margins and image. Paper mounted on foam board. Framed.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Various artists
[SWISS ANIMAL CONSERVATION / NATURE MUSEUM]. Two posters.
Sizes vary.
Includes Artenschutz / Conservation des Espèces (1980), by Claude Kuhn-Klein; and Natur-Museum Luzern (1979), by Tino Steinemann.
Condition varies. Artenschutz mounted on foamcore. Natur-Museum is paper. Framed.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Paul brühwiler (1939- )
RAYMOND CHANDLER / FILM NOIR. 1979.
50½x35¼ inches, 128¼x89½ cm.
After studying in Switzerland, Brühwiler spent five years in Paris and then moved to Los Angeles where he worked with Saul Bass. He then returned to Switzerland, working in Zurich before settling in Luzern, where he taught and painted. Among the many posters he did for Swiss cultural institutions, the series he did for the Film Podium in Zurich, which span over twenty years, is by far his most famous. In an ever-changing style, he advertised films from all areas of movie history. Here, in a gritty, hard-boiled film-noir manner he graphically portrays a villainous image from a Raymond Chandler film. (Pabru Plakate Bilder, Benteli, Wabern Bern, 1999, p. 34).
Condition A: hinge remnants on verso. Paper.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Various artists
[SWISS EXHIBITION & PERFORMANCE]. Group of 7 posters. 1960s-1990s.
Sizes vary.
Group includes: Experiment in Fläche und Raum (1962), by Jörg Hamburger; Club Schule Migros (1988/89) and International Musikfestwochen (1994), by Rosemarie Tissi; Le Cirque et Les Jouets (1992), by Martine Waltzer; Jazz in Willisau (1996), by Niklaus Troxler; and Oskar Schelmmer / Les Noces / Igor Stravinsky (1988) and Botta / Cucchi (1994), by Monguzzi. Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A / A-. Paper.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Grapus
[RAYMOND LOEWY GENIUS] & [BDIC]. Two posters. 1987.
Sizes vary.
The Grapus collective was a group of Communist graphic designers working together from 1970 through 1991, who rose to incredible acclaim and influence in France. Among their groundbreaking hallmarks were handwritten typography and a mixture of mediums including photography and drawing. Early on, their work had a political leaning, in that they worked for municipal (Communist) governments, the public theater and other social institutions. As their fame grew, they progressively took on more mainstream commissions. Images available upon request.
Condition A. Paper.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Paul Rand & Corporate Identity
Paul rand (1914-1996)
EL PRODUCTO / SANTA’S FAVORITE CIGAR. Circa 1953.
23¾x19½ inches, 60¼x49½ cm.
Heller p. 60.
Condition A. Paper.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Paul rand (1914-1996)
THE PREPARED PROFESSIONAL / INTERNATIONAL DESIGN CONFERENCE IN ASPEN. 1982.
38x21 inches, 96½x53¼ cm. Sanders Printing, [New York.]
"The targets in Rand's poster double as a pair of eyes. This ingeniously simple poster harbors a surprisingly complex metaphor, asking the viewer to identify alternately with the shooter and the target" (Cooper Hewitt Collection). Rand / GGG p. 14.
Condition A. Paper.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Paul rand (1914-1996)
[IBM] / [CUMMINS ENGINE COMPANY]. Binder & two pamphlets.
Sizes vary, each approximately 11x9 inches, 28x22¾ cm.
Includes Cummins Engine Company’s October 1976 Graphic Standards in a grey three-ring binder, and two booklets for IBM: Design Guides, May 1972, and The IBM Logo / Its Use in Company Identification (1985). Images available upon request.
Condition A.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Paul rand (1914-1996)
IBM. 1982.
35½x23½ inches, 90¼x59¾ cm.
Rand was first employed by IBM in 1956 to redesign the company’s logo. He continued consulting for the company for more than 30 years, redesigning their logo at least twice more. In 1981, he came up with the now-famous rebus, which has become one of the most famous and recognizable corporate identity statements of the 20th century. It took a year for the company to actually use the design in promotion, at which point they printed it as a poster with small text at the bottom explaining the significance of each element of the rebus; the first printing was, as a result, a very small run, and very rare. This is the second printing. Modern Poster 211, Encyclopedie de l’Affiche p. 106, Modern American 100, Resnick 72, Rand / GGG p. 23, MoMA 520.1983.
Condition A: small crease at top edge. Paper.
Estimate
$2,500 – $3,500
Paul rand (1914-1996)
THE IBM LOGO. Branding guideline book. 1990.
12x9½ inches, 30½x24¼ cm.
Condition A / A-: minor abrasions at edges of covers.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Paul rand (1914-1996)
QUALITY / [IBM]. 1990.
32x20¾ inches, 81¼x52¾ cm.
This poster also comes in a version with the black and white IBM logo printed in the top right corner, and a second variation with a different composition and color.
Condition A: minor crease at top edge; small abrasion at right edge; hand-signed by the artist in pencil. Paper.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Paul rand (1914-1996)
THE 79TH GINZA GRAPHIC GALLERY EXHIBITION. 1992.
40½x28¾ inches, 103x73 cm. Dai Nippon Printing Co., Japan.
Condition A. Paper.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Paul rand (1914-1996)
UCLA SUMMER SESSIONS. 1993.
35¼x23½ inches, 89½x59¾ cm.
Condition A. Paper.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Herb lubalin (1918-1981)
HERB LUBALIN’S ICONOCHRESTOMATHY. Group of 21 sheets. 1966.
Each approximately 20x14 inches, 50¾x35½ cm. Drum Lithographers, Inc.
This portfolio of playful typographic designs features the award-winning typefaces of the 1966 International Typeface Design Competition. Best known for his illustrative typography - and his work with the magazines Avant Garde, Fact and Eros, Lubalin was a prolific designer of advertisements, typeface, posters, logos and more. His trademark for Saturday Evening Post was used for several years, and also designed the trademark for the World Trade Center when it was founded. Not satisfied with the prevailing “Swiss Style” of design, he was keen to create a style that Americans would react to, called “graphic expressionism” – using typography to illustrate ideas. Typefaces created by Lubalin include ITC Avant Garde, Pistilli Roman, Lubalin Graph and Ronda. Includes duplicates. Images available upon request.
Condition A. Paper.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Israeli Modernism
Ijaky (dates unknown)
[THE ISRAEL EXHIBITION AND FAIR COMPANY LTD.] 1967.
27x19¼ inches, 68½x48¾ cm.
Condition A- / A: minor creases at edges and along vertical and horizontal folds. Paper.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Samuel grundman (dates unknown)
[TEL - AVIV AT FIFTY]. 1959.
38x25¾ inches, 96½x65½ cm. Tel Aviv Municipality, Tel Aviv.
Condition B+: replaced losses, repaired tears and restoration at edges; minor restoration in image; vertical and horizontal folds.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Giladi - gofer (dates unknown)
[FIRST OF MAY / HISTRADUT]. 1959.
37¾x27 inches, 95¾x68½ cm. Ortzel Printing Company Ltd., Ramat Gan.
Condition B+: partially-replaced top right margin; top margin slightly trimmed; minor abrasions and restoration along vertical and horizontal folds; staining in right image.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Shamir brothers (gabriel, 1909-1992 & maxim, 1910-1990)
KING DAVID & GRANDSON. Circa 1970s.
26x18¼ inches, 66x46½ cm. Shohar, Israel.
The Shamir brothers were born in Latvia, then studied graphics and design in Berlin, and in 1935, set up a studio, the “Shamir Brothers,” in Tel Aviv. One of their most iconic commissions was the design of the State of Israel Coat of Arms in 1949. This psychedelic blacklight poster was clearly influenced by the design aesthetic of the American rock and roll posters of the era, but the prominent “Lee” label on the Grandson’s jeans suggests that this may be an advertisement for the clothing company.
Condition A-: minor repaired tears at edges; minor creases and abrasions in image. Silkscreen.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Designer unknown
[HANUKKAH GIFT]. Circa 1960.
27½x19½ inches, 70x49½ cm. United Artists, Tel Aviv.
The flying deer is the Israeli Postal Authority logo, originally designed by the Shamir brothers.
Condition B: overpainting, repaired tears, creases and restoration in margins and image.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Otte wallish (1903-1977)
[SEND YOUR NEW YEAR GREETINGS EARLIER]. 1952.
18½x13 inches, 47x33 cm. [Government Printer.]
Wallish was a Jewish Czech graphic designer, who studied at the Vienna Art Academy, and later opened his own design firm in Prague. He originally used the German spelling of his name, Wallisch, but after moving to Israel, adopted the English transliteration of his name in Hebrew - “Wallish.” He was responsible for the calligraphy and design of the scroll for Israel’s Declaration of Independence, based on the calligraphy style from a 16th century Torah scroll. Wallish also had his hand in designs for Israeli stamps, coins, banknotes and medallions, as well as many posters.
Condition A.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Jean david (1908-1993)
EL - AL / ISRAEL AIRLINES. 1962.
21x13½ inches, 53¼x34¼ cm. E. Lewin Epstein Ltd., Tel-Aviv.
Condition A-: restoration along horizontal fold at top edge; minor abrasions at edges.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Polish Design
Henryk tomaszewski (1914-2005)
[CITIZEN KANE]. 1957.
33¼x23¾ inches, 84½x60¼ cm.
After his studies at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts, Tomaszewski established himself as a freelance graphic designer. He returned to the academy for three decades (1952-1985) and served as a professor. Widely considered to be one of the most influential Polish graphic designers and educators, he is also one of the most celebrated. Not only did he influence generations of young Polish artists, but his work is world renowned and he received many major awards for graphic design. This is the 1957 Polish re-release of the 1948 poster.
Condition B+: repaired tears, creases and restoration in margins; bleach spots in top margin; minor creases in image.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Henryk tomaszewski (1914-2005) & roman cieslewicz (1930-1996)
[POLISH THEATRE]. Group of 4 posters.
Sizes vary.
Group includes: Manekiny (1985) and Irkucka Historia (1967), by Tomaszewski; and Nigdy W Niedziele (1960) and Swan Lake, by Cieslewicz. Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A / A-. 2 paper and 2 linen-backed.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Vladimir vaclav palecek (dates unknown)
[CALL OF THE WILD]. 1968.
31½x22 inches, 80x55¾ cm.
A 1968 Czech poster for the 1966 film.
Condition A-: small repaired tears at edges; unobtrusive vertical and horizontal folds.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Henryk tomaszewski (1914-2005)
[POLISH / SHAKESPEARE & THEATRE]. Group of 3 posters. 1967-1979.
Sizes vary, each approximately 38x26 inches, 96½x66 cm.
Group includes: Julius Caesar; Hamlet; and Fantazy / Juliusz Slowacki. Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A-.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Various artists
[POLISH / FILM & CULTURE]. Group of 3 posters. 1973-1990.
Sizes vary.
Group includes: The Rage Within (1973); The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1975); and Annual Conference of the Association of German Plastic Surgeons (1990). Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Jan lenica (1928-2001)
[POLISH THEATRE & CULTURE]. Group of 4 posters.
Each approximately 37¼x23¾ inches, 94½x60¼ cm.
Group includes: Oedipus; Wagner / Tannhauser; Poland Invites You; and Swan Lake. Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A- / A. 3 paper and 1 linen-backed.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Various artists
[POLISH / ANIMALS]. Group of 15 posters.
Sizes vary.
Includes theatre, film and circus posters. Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A- / A. 11 paper and 3 linen-backed.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,000
Various artists
[POLISH MUSIC POSTERS]. Group of 13 posters.
Sizes vary.
Includes film, theatre, and concert posters such as Aida; Louis Armstrong; Porgy und Bess; and Kabaret. Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A / A-. 5 paper and 7 linen-backed.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Various artists
[POLISH FILM POSTERS]. Group of 8 posters.
Sizes vary.
Group includes posters for films such as Tootsie; Indiana Jones; Terminator; and The Great Gatsby. Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A. 2 paper and 6 linen-backed.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Japanese Design
Tadanori yokoo (1936- )
WORD IMAGE. 1968.
48½x17 inches, 123¼x43¼ cm. Poster Originals Ltd., [New York.]
For the seminal exhibition of 20th century posters from the Museum of Modern Art’s own collection, curator Mildred Constantine assembled what Rita Reif referred to as “a landmark presentation that helped define the medium for scholars, graphics specialists and collectors” (New York Times, June 26, 1988). The exhibition focused as much on contemporary images as historical ones, and the curators put extra emphasis on the contemporary state of graphic design by choosing Tadanori Yokoo to design the exhibition poster. For this golden opportunity, he created a very synthetic image with no typography within the image to distract the viewer. Using mouths and one large eye, he perfectly evokes the concept of “word” and “image.” He employs the rays of the rising sun, one of his favorite and recurring motifs, but here, makes the colors red, white and blue for America rather than the Japanese red and white. Yokoo 546.
Condition B+: repaired tears, creases and abrasions at edges and in image; repaired pin holes in corners; minor scuffing in image. Silkscreen. Mounted on Japan.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Akihiko tsukamoto (1952- )
[NICHIGEKI MUSIC HALL] / [NUDE IN HEELS]. Two posters.
28¾x40½ inches, 73x102¾ cm.
The green poster says “This poster has passed the Eirin screening criteria” at the top left corner. Eirin was the name of the Japanese Film Classification and Rating Organization, responsible for deeming films as General Audience, PG-12, Restricted, etc.
Condition A. Silkscreen. Paper.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Takenobu igarashi (1944- )
[UCLA] & [ZEN]. Two posters. 1976 and 1981.
28¾x40½ inches, 73x102¾ cm.
Includes: University of California, Los Angeles (1976) and Zen Environmental Design (1981).
Condition A. Paper.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Takenobu igarashi (1944- )
DESIGN. 1976.
28¾x40½ inches, 73x102¾ cm. Mitsumura Printing Company, [Tokyo].
Takenobu was born in 1944, and studied in Japan and later at UCLA. After California, he returned to Japan and opened his own studio in 1970. His reputation extends to both sides of the Pacific Ocean, as he has designed bags for the Museum of Modern Art, graphics for Suntory and Seibu (typography for the trendy Parco branch) and the poster for the 1985 Tsukuba exhibition. Using flat tones and bold geometric letters, his creations, as evident here, are always well structured and highly readable.
Condition A- / A: minor creases in image; minor abrasions at edges. Paper.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Shigenobu nagaishi (1944- )
SHIGENOBU NAGAISHI: ILLUSTRATION NOW. Two posters.
28¾x40½ inches, 73x102¾ cm.
Condition generally A: minor abrasions in image. Silkscreen. Paper.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Ikko tanaka (1930-2002)
NIHON BUYO / UCLA ASIAN PERFORMING ARTS INSTITUTE. 1981.
40½x28½ inches, 103x72½ cm. Toppan Printing Co., Ltd., Tokyo.
With a traditional artistic background in textile design, Tanaka ultimately switched to graphic design. From book to logo design, interior decoration, typography and exhibition design, he practiced every aspect of the field with a refined style. For years, he also worked for the Seibu group, for whom he supervised their global image. A lover of traditional Japan, his posters celebrated the arts and crafts of his native country in a superb, modern way. For the Nihon Buyo (Japanese dance) performance at UCLA, Tanaka depicts a dancer’s face, as if composed of origami. This is the first time he used this emblematic form, and he went on to employ it frequently in different variations for other posters he designed for cultural events and exhibitions.
Condition A: minor abrasions at edges; minor creases in image. Paper.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Akihiko tsukamoto (1952- ) and akira inada (1949- )
[DID YOU HEAR HELEN REDDY KNOCKING?] 1979.
28½x40¼ inches, 72½x102¼ cm.
Modern Poster 285 (var).
Condition A: minor abrasions in left image. Silkscreen. Paper.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Koji tsujishita (dates unknown)
BLUE SKIES NO CANDY / BY GAEL GREENE. 1982.
31x43 inches, 78¾x101¼ cm. Playboy Books.
A 1982 Japanese advertisement for Gael Greene’s 1976 erotic fiction novel.
Condition A / A-: minor creases and scuffing. Silkscreen. Paper.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Various artists
[JAPANESE FILM POSTERS]. Group of 5 posters.
Sizes vary, each approximately 28x19½ inches, 71x49½ cm.
Includes posters for Batman; Easy Rider; Breakfast at Tiffany’s; Joe Kidd; and Doctor Zhivago. Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A. 1 paper and 4 linen-backed.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Tadanori yokoo (1936- )
GOHATTO. 1999.
40x28¼ inches, 101½x71¾ cm.
MoMA SC1170.2012.
Condition A. Framed.
Estimate
$300 – $400
Tadanori yokoo (1936- )
KATSUMI / I WANNA WIN. 1997.
40¼x28¾ inches, 102¼x73 cm.
Condition A. Paper.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Counterculture
Designer unknown
BOB DYLAN / TOWN HALL CONCERT / NYU. Concert program. 1963.
10x7 inches, 25½x17¾ cm.
Concert produced by Harold Leventhal, affiliated with NYU. “My Life in a Stolen Moment” lyrics printed inside. The Town Hall is a performance space located at 123 West 43rd Street, between Sixth Avenue and Broadway. This was Bob Dylan’s first major solo concert at a major New York concert venue, and only played 3 songs from his premier album.
Condition A. Folded as issued. Paper.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Milton glaser (1929-2020)
BOB DYLAN. 1966.
32¼x21½ inches, 82x54½ cm.
This is certainly the most famous poster designed by Milton Glaser and one of the most recognized images of post-war American pop culture. This poster was printed in huge quantities and inserted in record albums. However, it seems that after being pinned up in college dorm rooms, many were discarded, and have now become more scarce. Glaser cover and 39, Modern America 148, Images 39, Modern Poster 237, Muller-Brockmann 124.
Condition A: vertical and horizontal folds, as issued. Hand-signed by the artist in multicolor pencil. Paper.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,000
Richard avedon (1923-2004)
[THE BEATLES / LOOK MAGAZINE]. Group of 4 posters, banner & magazine. 1967.
Set of four is 31x22½ inches, 78¾x57 cm. Cowles Education Corporation, New York.
In the late 1940s, Richard Avedon became the chief photographer for Harper's Bazaar. Throughout his career, while remaining active in the field of fashion photography, he also became involved in Civil Rights and anti-Vietnam war photography. For the January 9, 1967 issue of Look magazine, he produced solarized portraits of the Beatles that were issued in several formats, including posters. Icons of their era, these images captured the legendary rock group at the peak of their fame.
With- black and white photographic banner and Look magazine issue. Images available upon request.
Images of an Era 48, Modern Poster 238, Encyclopedie de l'Affiche p. 329, Plakat Kunst p. 170, Design Graphique 102, MoMA 153.1988, 1441.2000, 1442.2000 & 1443.2000.
Condition varies, generally A-: slight foxing. Paper.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,000
Günther kieser (1930- )
AMERICAN FOLK BLUES FESTIVAL. Group of 5 posters.
Sizes vary.
Kieser essentially dedicated his entire career to posters promoting jazz and blues concerts. He has designed hundreds of posters, the most memorable of which are images of three-dimensional tableaux that he constructed using diverse objects that caught his inspirational attention. He was also a major proponent of graphic découpage, in which he brought various images together to help form a cohesive message. The first image he designed for the Hamburg Folk Blues Festival was in 1968; the guitar at the center of the image is covered with “American” objects and photographs. He would continue to use the guitar in his subsequent posters for the event (in each case adorned differently), so much so that it became an immediately recognizable logo. Includes one duplicate. Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A. Two large posters hand-signed in pencil.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Linda segul (dates unknown)
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FOLK - ROCK FESTIVAL / JIMI HENDRIX. 1968.
20x13¾ inches, 50¾x35 cm.
Listed performers included Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, Santana and Led Zeppelin (who did not attend). This is the 1st printing. SCF690523-PO.
Condition A. Paper.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Milton glaser (1929-2020)
NO VIETNAMESE EVER CALLED ME NIGGER. 1968.
34¾x21½ inches, 88¼x54½ cm.
A striking poster created to promote David Loeb Weiss’ film No Vietnamese Ever Called Me Nigger, which won the award for Best Documentary at the Mannheim Film Festival in 1968. The title refers to a quote often misattributed to Muhammad Ali. It was a popular rallying cry during anti-Vietnam War demonstrations at the time, and can be seen in the film on the placards carried by protesters in the 1967 Harlem Fall Mobilization March. This event was the racially and politically-charged focus of the documentary, composed of footage of the march itself interspersed with interviews from protesters and Black Vietnam veterans. The result was a shockingly frank firsthand report, which a review in Open City called “the strongest statement yet from the Black community . . . a startling cry of rage and despair . . . As a study on why there is rebellion in the streets of Black America it is more succinct and illuminating than any government report can ever be.” Glaser p. 95.
Condition B+: tears, creases and abrasions along sharp vertical and horizontal folds. Double-sided. Paper.
Estimate
$2,500 – $3,500
Various artists
[COUNTERCULTURE / MARIJUANA]. Group of 3 posters.
Sizes vary.
Group includes: Twas Ever Thus / Says Mr. Natural (1972), by R. Crumb; Freewheelin’ Franklin Sez (1971), by Gilbert Sheldon; and Dope will Get you Through Times of No Money . . .” (1971), by Petagno. Images available upon request.
Condition varies. One paper.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Various artists
[COUNTERCULTURE / MARIJUANA]. Group of 3 posters.
Sizes vary.
Group includes: High (1967); Businessmen are Going to Pot; and Should a Gentleman Offer a Lady a Joint? Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A-.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Various artists
[COUNTERCULTURE / FILMS]. Group of 4 posters.
Sizes vary.
Group includes: Sex Madness (1973); Cocaine / “The Threat That Kills”; “Assassins of Youth” (Marihuana); and The Narcotic Story. Images available upon request.
Condition varies.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Designer unknown
SURREALISM IS MYSELF / [SALVADOR DALI].
32½x21¼ inches, 82½x54 cm.
Condition B+: losses, creases and abrasions in upper left corner; creases and abrasions in text and image. Silkscreen Blacklight poster. Paper.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Roman cieslewicz (1930-1996)
CCCP / USA. 1968.
31½x21½ inches, 80x54½ cm. Serg, Paris.
Cieslewicz grew up and studied in Poland and moved to Paris in 1963. Once there, he quickly became Art Director for the magazine Elle. As a master of photomontage and collage, in 1968 he was called upon to create the visuals for Opus International, an avant-garde art magazine. He wound up designing a series of highly stylized pop images for the publication. This one, which was used as the cover for issue 4, was also published as a poster. With its simple, garish colors and cartoon-style image, it remains today a classic of the Pop Era. Cieslewicz p. 34.
Condition A.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Designer unknown
AMAZE YOUR FRIENDS / QUOTE NEWSWEEK. 1966.
46x59¾ inches, 116¾x151¾ cm. National Periodical Publications, Inc.
Condition B: repaired tear at right edge, into image; tears, repaired tears, creases and abrasions at edges; foxing and staining in background. Silkscreen. Paper.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Thomas w. benton (1930-2007)
HUNTER S. THOMPSON FOR SHERIFF / ASPEN, COLORADO. 1970.
25¼x19¼ inches, 64x49 cm.
Condition A: slight smudging in image; hand-signed in pencil by Thomas W. Benton and Hunter S. Thompson.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,000
Artists & Exhibition
Boris bucan (1947- )
ROSA LAVIN / ZAGREB FASHION SHOW. 1981.
53¼x75¾ inches, 135¼x192½ cm. Tisak Graficki Servis Studentski Center, Zagreb.
Bucan was born in the Croatian capitol Zagreb, and in 1972, graduated from that city’s Academy of Fine Arts. He began designing posters shortly thereafter and gained international attention at the 1984 Venice Biennale for a series of posters he made for Radio-Television Zagreb. He has since exhibited all over the world. The Croatian Designer Association recently gave him their lifetime achievement award. His large format posters are arresting, not only for their size but also for their superb combination of design and humor. Rare.
Condition A-: minor repaired tears and restoration at edges; minor creases in image. Four-sheets.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Michael english (1941-2009)
[HYPERREALIST AIRBRUSH]. Group of 4 posters. 1970.
Each 24x34¾ inches, 61x88¼ cm. Shenval Press, Harlow, England.
Group includes: Bubble Gum; V8; Bottle; and Coke. Images available upon request.
Condition A. One paper, 3 linen-backed.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Milton glaser (1929-2020)
NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL. 1988.
30x45 inches, 76¼x114¼ cm.
Glaser p. 418-9.
Condition A-: minor creases and abrasions at edges; minor rubbing in image; hand-signed by the artist in red crayon. Silkscreen. Paper.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Peter teubner (dates unknown)
HARLEM / NEW YORK 125TH STREET. 1968.
45¼x28¾ inches, 115x75 cm. Seaward-Edison Corporation, [New York.]
One in a series of 10 images called "Aspects of New York City," designed on behalf of the Container Corporation of America by different artists. In a clever integration of the letter "H," Teubner captures the liveliness of Harlem's 125th street in day-glo colors. Teubner has worked at RVI Corporation, Center for Advanced Research in Design and Unimark International, and created his own company in 1973. "He designed financial and corporate communications for Abbott Laboratories, Inland Steel, Atlantic Richfield, Clark Equipment Company; graphic identity and promotional material for the US Information Agency; posters for the City of New York" (Chicago Design Archive). Images of an Era 99, Modern American 130, MoMA 494.1978.
Condition A.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Laboca design studio
BLACK SWAN. Group of 4 posters. 2010.
Each approximately 39¼x26½ inches, 99½x67¼ cm.
Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A. Paper.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Herbert matter (1907-1984)
GIACOMETTI / KUNSTHALLE BASEL. 1966.
50x35½ inches, 127x90¼ cm. Wassermann, Basel.
Despite being based in the United States as a design consultant for the Guggenheim Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, as well as teaching at Yale, Matter accepted a few European commissions, such as this poster he designed for the Kunsthalle Basel. The strict layout lends itself well to Giacometti’s elongated figure, which runs straight up through the center of the image. The use of non-Helvetica typography seems to be an intentional departure for Matter, in contrast to what his Swiss colleagues would have done. MoMA 797.1983.
Condition B+ / A-: loss in lower left corner; tears and minor creases at edges. Paper.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
D’après jean-michel basquiat (1960-1988)
[BASQUIAT / SHAFRAZI GALLERY]. Group of 5 posters. 1999.
Sizes vary. Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York.
Group includes: Notary; Mitchell Crew; Obnoxious Liberals; In Italian; and Jawbone of an Ass. From an unnumbered limited edition with the licensed authorized rights of the Basquiat estate. Images available upon request.
Condition A. Paper.
Estimate
$2,500 – $3,500
Christo (1935-2020) & jean-claude (1935-2009)
[CHRISTO PROJECTS]. Group of 7 posters.
Sizes vary.
Includes two signed posters: Christo: The Gates, Project for Central Park, New York City, XX, offset lithograph with collage, 2005; and Christo Wraps the Museum, on brown kraft paper, 1968.
With - Three duplicate unsigned impressions of Christo Wraps the Museum; two duplicate unsigned impressions of The Pont Neuf Wrapped, Project for Paris, (1985). Images available upon request.
Condition varies, generally A / A. Two hand-signed. Paper. One framed.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Robert indiana (1928-1918)
HIRSHHORN MUSEUM / OPENING EXHIBITION. 1974.
32½x25¾ inches, 82½x65½ cm. Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
Condition A / A-: minor creases in margins; small tear at right edge; hand-signed and numbered 10/100 by the artist in pencil. Silkscreen. Paper.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Roy lichtenstein (1923-1997) & design by jayme odgers (1939-2022)
CAL ARTS / LICHTENSTEIN / DRAWINGS & COLLAGES. 1977.
37½x24¾ inches, 95½x62¾ cm. California Institute of the Arts, Valencia.
Condition A-: colors attenuated. Hand-signed and inscribed “To Barbara Roth” by the artist in pen. Paper. Framed.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Roy lichtenstein (1923-1997)
ROY LICHTENSTEIN / THE SAINT LOUIS ART MUSEUM. 1981.
39¼x24¾ inches, 99½x62¾ cm.
This exhibition began in St. Louis and then moved to New York’s Whitney Museum. The poster advertising the Whitney show is much more common. Rare. Lichtenstein 35 (var).
Condition A-: light foxing in background; faint water stain at bottom right edge; hand-signed by the artist in ink. Paper.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Claes oldenburg (1929- )
STARS / A FARCE FOR OBJECTS BY CLAES OLDENBURG. 1963.
28x22 inches, 71x58¾ cm.
Published on the occasion of the performance Stars : A Farce for Objects at the Washington Gallery of Modern Art, Washington, D.C., April 24 and 25, 1963.
Condition A: letterpress on thick paper; hand-signed by the artist in pencil; tipped to mount. Framed.
Estimate
$8,000 – $12,000
Claes oldenburg (1929- )
INJUN / RAY GUN THEATER BY CLAES OLDENBURG. 1962.
28x22 inches, 71x58¾ cm.
Raymond Saroff was the filmmaker for A Film of a Claes Oldenburg Happening, Ray Gun Theater, 1962. This poster was published on the occasion of the performance “Injun” at the Dallas Museum for Contemporary Arts, April 6 - 7, 1962.”
Condition A: minor abrasions at edges; small paper remnant in text; letterpress on thick paper; hand-signed by the artist in red pencil; tipped to mount. Framed.
Estimate
$8,000 – $12,000
Andy warhol (1928-1987) & ed ruscha (1937- )
[PARKETT NO. 18 / XXe SIECLE / INTERIORS]. Group of 3 books & magazines.
Sizes vary.
Group includes: Parkett No. 18 (1988), by Ed Ruscha, with poster bound in as issued - Hell 1/2 Way Heaven, printed signature; XXe Siecle No. 4 (1938); and Interiors (Sept. 1954), cover by Andy Warhol. Images available upon request.
Condition varies.
Estimate
$350 – $500
Andy warhol (1928-1987)
FILM FESTIVAL - LINCOLN CENTER. 1967.
45x24¼ inches, 114¼x61½ cm. Chiron Press, New York.
This is a proof, aside from the signed and numbered edition of 200. Published by Leo Castelli Gallery, New York, to commemorate the Fifth New York Film Festival at Lincoln Center. The difference between this edition and the edition of 500 is that the black graphic text "FIFTH NEW YORK" is placed directly over the text "Film Festival of Lincoln Center;" in the edition of 500, the text black text "FIFTH NEW YORK" is placed on top of the white text. An innovative feature that appears in this special edition is a perforated line running across the surface of the print, at its triangular cut out sides, mimicking the tear line present in real commercial movie admissions tickets. Chiron Press, commissioned by Lincoln Center, devised a special process expressly to imprint the edition with this perforation using a die cut stamp.
Images of an Era 72 and cover, Modern Poster 255, Modern American 132, Muller-Brockmann 121, Plakat Kunst p. 173, The Poster 633, Internationale Plakate 704, Kunstler Plakate p. 107, Warhol Posters 6, MoMA 493.1978, Feldman 19 (all var).
Condition B+: cracking at sides and top right corner, repaired on verso with archival tape. Silkscreen, die-cut on opaque acrylic.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Andy warhol (1928-1987)
PERRIER. 1983.
17¼x23¼ inches, 43¾x59 cm.
This is one of over 40 designs Warhol created around Perrier’s sparkling water, after he began collaborating with manufacturers in the 80s. Commissioned in 1982 and completed in 1983, this advertising campaign was coordinated by Langelaan & Cerf of Paris and was awarded the Grand Prix de l’Affiche Française in 1983. Warhol Posters 31, MoMA 118.1989.
Condition A.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Andy warhol (1928-1987)
PERRIER. 1983.
17¼x23½ inches, 43¾x59¾ cm.
Condition A.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Harry schunk (1924-2006)
ANDY WARHOL / DAVID BOURDON. 1989.
25¼x24 inches, 64x61 cm. Printed in Japan.
Condition A-: small tears at edges; minor creases and abrasions at edges and in image. Paper.