ALBERT WEISGERBER (1878-1915) PRESSE FEST. 1913. 70 1/438 7/8 inches. G. Schuh, Munich. Condition B+: water staining, foxing, creases, repaired tears and abrasions in margins and image; vertical and horizontal folds. Two sheets. Framed. Weisgerber was a founding member of the New Secession in Munich and he was a frequent contributor to Jugend. He studied art under Franz von Stuck and Gabriel von Hackl and was renowned for his paintings. His few posters stand out, as they are filled with wit and unexpectedly vivid colors. The Presse Fest is definitely his wildest, and most irreverent piece. His image is a comic take-off on Richard Strauss' opera Salomé. To mock the most respected work of one of Austria's most beloved composers is in and of itself insolent; but add the bright colors and the crazy scene and you end up with what could well be the most daring German poster of the period. Its graphic approach clearly announces Art Deco, as the image is virtually interchangeable with a 1920s-era cabaret poster. Plakate in München 334, DFP-III 3377.
