ALEXANDER M. CAY (1887-1971) AUTOMOBIL UND MOTORRAD AUSSTELLUNG. 1935. 46 1/2x33 1/4 inches. Elsendruck, Berlin. Condition A. With scant biographical information existing about Cay, it seems clear that he was a proud German nationalist, as the majority of his posters emerge from the crucial years in Germany at the tail end and right after the First World War. They include such slogans as "Peace, we reach it through order," "Victory through work," and "Mothers! Will You Permit Your Children to Endure Another War that Grew From an Imposed Peace Treaty?" By the 1930s he was clearly more focused on mundane, materialistic issues, and his style became softer and more refined. Here, for a Berlin auto-show, he shows the ghostly form of a massive racing car speeding over a silhouette of the Berlin skyline and the Brandenburg Gate. It is an intriguing image with clever lighting adding depth to the cityscape, and efficient and streamlined sans-serif typography.
