JOSEPH MULLER-BROCKMANN (1914-1996) SCHÜTZT DAS KIND! 50 1/8x35 1/4 inches. Lithographie & Cartonnage, Zurich. Condition A: creases in image. The undisputed leader of the Zurich postwar graphic school, Muller-Brockmann, who was a designer, typographer, teacher and author, also left behind several historically important series of posters: for example, the strictly typographic posters with abstract lines that he created for Musica Viva and the series of powerful photomontages commissioned in the 1950s by the Automobile Club. This poster is the most famous image to come from this latter series; here Muller-Brockmann combines the influence of Matter in his use of photography and the dynamic "mise en page" rules of constructivism with his own strict, clean style. The result is quite striking: utilizing a diagonal, the image features a huge motorcycle bearing down, in a menacing fashion, on a child playing. The typeface is Helvetica, which only adds to the overall powerful effect of this photomontage poster. Swiss Posters 53.21, Margadant 176, Schindler 168, Plakat Schweiz p. 68, Photoplakat 163, Word & Image, p.108.
