May 05, 2011 - Sale 2246

Sale 2246 - Lot 14

Unsold
Estimate: $ 1,000 - $ 1,500
DESIGNER UNKNOWN NEBENEINANDER. 1923. Two posters.
Sizes vary, each approximately 27 1/2x37 inches, 70x94 cm. Druck von Nauck & Hartmann, Berlin.
Conditions vary, generally B+ / B.
Exceptional documents from a seminal time in German culture and theatre. These exquisitely rendered typographic posters present the premiere of Nebeneinander (Side by Side), that was held on November 3, 1923. Written by a prolific playwright who was most famous for his expressionist productions, it was George Kaiser's first "Volkstück" (People's Play), breaking away from his expressionist tendencies. Yet if the script was directed towards the masses, the scenery by Georg Grosz and these posters bespeak Kaiser's commitment to an avant-garde theatrical experience. Berlin was a hot spot for avant-garde design in the early 1920s, and these posters are masterfully designed by an artist on the very edge of the New Typography.