OTTOKAR MASCHA (1852-1929) ÖSTERREICHISCHE PLAKATKUNST. Bound volume. Circa 1914.
15 1/2x12 inches, 39 1/2x30 1/2 cm. J. Lowy, Vienna.
Condition A: foxing on covers; contents clean. Bound in linen.
This is the only comprehensive book on the Austrian poster during its golden age. It contains works by Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Koloman Moser, Julius Klinger, Ernst Deutsch and others, boasting 24 color plates and 176 black-and-white illustrations in all. Although undated, it was probably published in 1914, and certainly suffered from appearing right at the beginning of the First World War, as very few copies have survived. In many ways it can be considered the Maîtres de l'Affiche of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with the addition of scholarly text to complement the images. This is one of the 200 copies bound in linen; 30 additional numbered copies were bound in leather and printed on Japan. scarce. We have found only 10 copies at auction since 1995.