May 10, 2012 - Sale 2278

Sale 2278 - Lot 21

Unsold
Estimate: $ 4,000 - $ 6,000
JAN TSCHICHOLD (1902-1974) AUSSTELLUNG VINCENT VAN GOGH / GRAPHISCHES KABINETT. 1928.
23 1/4x32 3/4 inches, 59x83 1/4 cm. Volk & Schreiber, Munich.
Condition B+: expertly restored losses in corners; repaired tears at edges some affecting image; minor restoration in image; darkened?
A prolific practitioner, teacher and writer, Tschichold was one of the fathers of "New Typography," the title of his highly influential 1928 book. Son of a calligrapher and a student at the Academy for Graphic Arts in Leipzig, Tschichold was influenced by both the Bauhaus and Russian constructivists such as El Lissitzky. He moved to Munich in 1926 where he continued teaching and designing. This is the first of at least 3 posters he designed for the Graphisches Kabinett Museum in Berlin, and likely one of the first public instances of his "New Typography" being used in a commercial format. The poster was also printed in almost reverse colors, with cream-colored text against a red background. They were likely intended to be displayed in a repeating, alternating color scheme, but also worked effectively as just single sheet posters. Tschichold p. 203.