Isn’t that a butterfly? Or is it a bird? To draw attention to an exhibition of posters from the collection of the Gewerbemuseum Basel? And then by Armin Hofmann (1920 – 2020)? Who is generally associated more with the rational "Swiss style" than with emotion or poetry?

Even if the master from Basel – who also influenced generations of graphic designers in Switzerland and abroad as an educator – relied in his designs on radical reduction as well as clarity of form and color, he was not dogmatic (something that could rather be said of the representatives of the "Zurich School", who followed in the tradition of the Constructivists or Concretists). And so some of Hofmann’s posters certainly allow for a symbolic interpretation, if they do not even require it.

In this case, however, the winged creature – assuming only that it is one! – is and remains a pictorial puzzle, even with knowledge of the text and thus the occasion, and even if one interprets the two blobs in the top right-hand corner as eyes. But the fact that questions remain unanswered need not be a bad thing in the case of a poster advertising a cultural event (whereas the client of a poster promoting a specific product shuns ambiguity like the devil shuns holy water). After all, the poster was sure to attract attention – by far the most important currency in advertising – simply by limiting itself to the signal color red, which undoubtedly stood out in the greyish cityscape.

Either way, we are not aware of a second copy having ever appeared on the market – probably because the print run was very small, as the posters were only intended for local display (the address of the Basler Gewerbemuseum is not even listed). So: A scarce original poster by Armin Hofmann at its best.

And last, but not least: Any interpretation of the motif is very welcome as I'm sure there are some Hofmann admirers out there who have thought about this special design, right...?

Swiss Original Vintage Poster, 128x90,5 cm, linocut, printed in 1961, A condition, available online and in the gallery

#placart #originalposter #arminhofmann #graphicdesign ...

A DC-3 roars past the Grossmünster and the Münsterbrücke over the Limmat: To our knowledge, this is the only Original Swissair Poster with a clear reference to Zurich – designed by Theodor "Teddy" Brunner and signed accordingly in the top right-hand corner; we therefore assume that he created it before founding his agency Studio Selecta in 1937 or 1938. Otherwise he would probably have chosen the agency's name – as in the case of his other Swissair posters (available as well on placart.ch).

A sheet that is not only extremely rare, but also in excellent condition. We may one day even be able to explain why it was printed in Lugano of all places. And finally: despite its width of just 60,5 cm, the sheet has not been trimmed.

No matter if you're a collector of Original (Swiss) Vintage Posters, Interwar Posters or Aviation Memorabilia or if you're looking for a statement piece to decorate your place: This one fits in each of these categories. Scarce and pricey.

Swiss Original Vintage Poster, 102x60,5 cm, lithograph, printed rather in 1937 than in 1938, A condition, available online and in the gallery

#placart #originalposter #swissair #visitzurich ...

Original Vintage Poster by the commercial artist and exhibition designer Georges Calame (1930 – 1999) who started in Geneva in 1953 and was committed to the principles of the Swiss Style from the very beginning: precise and minimalistic designs without losing sight of the balance of the composition. 15 of his posters were among the "Best Posters of the Year", a prize awarded by the Swiss Confederation – making him one of the very few from French-speaking Switzerland to be regularly among the winners.

The Geneva furniture store Tagliabue (founded in the mid-1950s and taken over by Teo Jakob in 1999) was something like the Wohnbedarf of French-speaking Switzerland and a client of Calame for over 30 years. What is remarkable about this poster advertising Eero Saarinen's Tulip Chair, produced by Knoll International, is the white armchair on the right, which (although not moved out of symmetry) slightly obscures the red one due to their width; a position that almost hurts the eye – which makes the motif or the product respectively all the more memorable.

Swiss Original Vintage Poster, 128x90,5 cm, offset, printed in 1968, A- condition, available online and in the gallery

#placart #originalposter #saarinen #knoll ...

Zug and cherries: This affinity – some say obsession – is on record as soon as around 1350. Accordingly, Peikert (born in Zug in 1901) grew up with blossoming cherry trees, juicy cherries, the Zug cherry tart and, sooner rather than later, certainly with the aromatic cherry brandy. When he then was commissioned by the local tourist office to promote the region, he had little choice: it had to be cherries. The result may not be a typical Peikert in terms of the choice of motif, but it certainly has the right look and feel: it simply puts you in a good mood.

In the meantime, the cherry tart is not only regarded as Switzerland’s culinary heritage – even cherry growing in the canton itself is part of the "Living Traditions of Switzerland" as part of the intangible Unesco cultural heritage.

Swiss Original Vintage Travel Poster, 102x64 cm, lithograph, printed in 1939, A condition, available online and in the gallery

#placart #zugerland #originalposter #peikert ...

The Swiss photographer duo Emanuel Gyger (1886-1951) and Arnold Klopfenstein (1896-1961) made a name for themselves with their expressive images of Alpine winter landscapes and occasionally accepted commissions for posters. An extremely rare original Swiss winter poster in excellent condition.

The traditional Valais ski village of Champéry is considered one of the very first Swiss vacation resorts. A hotel opened its doors here as early as 1857, laying the foundations for a friendly winter sports resort that enjoys enduring popularity – not least because those responsible have managed to preserve the charm of over 150 years of winter sports history despite the modern infrastructure.

Within barely five minutes, skiers can reach the Portes du Soleil ski area from Champéry via the Champéry-Planachaux cable car or the Grand-Paradis chairlift at an altitude of 2000 meters. There are almost 200 ski lifts and 300 runs for fun on the slopes in French and Swiss terrain.

Swiss Original Vintage Travel Poster, 102x64 cm, lithograph, printed in 1950, A condition, available online and in the gallery

#placart #originalposter #champery #swissposter ...

I don't know much about fashion styles (if anything at all), but dating this Swissair poster to 1958 – which is pretty much the case everywhere – seems a bit daring to me. Or what do the fashionistas here think? Wouldn't ca. 1965 fit much better? If you look at the ski goggles, for instance...?
Either way: Given its charming cheerfulness it is a very popular design (not only among Swissair fans) which at the time promoted Swissair – and thus Switzerland itself – especially in North America.

It was created by graphic designer and ad pro René Bittel (1928-1996) from Valais, who worked in New York for Herb Lubalin before setting up his own agency and working from Geneva for an international clientele. The revival of Patek Philippe is considered his masterpiece. It may sound almost unbelievable today, given the prices and waiting lists for their watches, but in the mid-1980s the Geneva brand was close to its downfall. Bittel provided the company an ad concept and an identity – by designing the Calatrava ref. 3919, for example (which became kind of a face of the company), as well as all kinds of commercial art. He died shortly after the collaboration ended in 1996.

Offset, printed by Sigg Söhne, Winterthur; sheet size ca. 102x64 cm, A condition – available in the gallery and online

#placart #originalposter #swissair #patekphilippe ...