Apr 24 at 12:00 PM - Sale 2702 -

Sale 2702 - Lot 19

Estimate: $ 3,000 - $ 4,000

L. KEIZER (DATES UNKNOWN)

SABENA / RAPIDITE. 1938.

39x24¼ inches, 99x61½ cm. Studio E.L.K.A.
Condition B: horizontal creases throughout; repaired tears, creases and abrasions at edges and in image.

Keizer worked for Sabena in the 1930s, primarily illustrating timetables, and appears to have designed at least one other poster besides this rare image; it is among the best Belgian aviation posters of the period. Three stylized eagles cut across the wake of a soaring airplane (a Savoia-Marchetta SM.83), as if trying to catch up with the machine. Concentric circles, evoking a propeller, also show a speedometer; at 250 km an hour, this plane is the epitome of Rapidité. Keizer's skillful airbrush technique and the typography, reminiscent of neon lighting, also speaks to exceptional modernity. If you add to this brilliant rendering the dynamism of the composition, you have what can easily be considered a landmark of Art Deco.

Crouse p. 21, Weill / Art Deco p. 93.
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