ANTON STANKOWSKI (1906-1998) ZÜRCHER BRECHKOKS. 1933. 50 1/4x35 1/2 inches, 127 1/2x90 1/4 cm. J.C. Müller, Zürich. Condition A-: offsetting in lower text; minor creases in margins and image. Paper. Stankowski studied at the Folkwang Schule in Westphalia, where he learned about functional graphic design and corporate identity. In Switzerland in the late 1920s, he collaborated with Herbert Matter, Max Bill and others, and began to explore Constructivism and elements of the Bauhaus tenets. Focusing on photography and photomontage, he developed his own "Contstructivist graphic style," and ultimately derived his own "Theory of Design." His functional graphic design was highly acclaimed, leading him to the role of Creator of the "visual layout" for the city of Berlin, a position as Chairman of the Visual Design committee for the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, as well as the designer for several major companies such as IBM. He is acknowledged as one of the most important German graphic designers of the 20th century. He left Switzerland in 1934 to return to Germany. This poster is typical of his Swiss period: a photographic image, spectacularly laid-out and clear, but not overly rigid typography. Stankowski p. 53, Fotoplakate 61, Werbestil p. 162.
