Contents Preface Introduction the First Posters Historical Overview: Early Days of the Poster Circus and Carny Posters Chromolit

Contents 6 Preface 8 Introduction 12 The First Posters 20 Historical Overview: Early Days of the Poster With the generous support of: 22 Circus and Carny Posters 30 Chromolithographs 40 Art Nouveau in Paris 64 Historical Overview: The Poster We should like to express our very special in Art Nouveau thanks to the Hubertus Wald Stiftung. Once again, the foundation has proven to 66 be a reliable partner, and has supported Art Nouveau in this exhibition through a substantial con- tribution — in whose absence this endeav- Great Britain and the or, of such exceptional importance to our museum, would not have been possible. United States 82 Art Nouveau 228 The International Style in the Rest of Europe 246 Pop Art and the Poster 102 The First Professional 258 Historical Overview: Poster Artists Pop Art and the Poster 110 The German Sachplakat 264 (Object Poster) Protest Posters 268 122 Historical Overview: The 1970s Half Way to Modernism 282 Photo Design around 124 World War Ⅰ 1980 and the Political Poster 290 The 1980s 138 Art Deco 304 Historical Overview: 152 Cassandre Globalization 306 160 Historical Overview: Shock Advertising: Art Deco Poster Design around and Avant-Garde 1990 322 162 The Typographic Poster Japanese Posters 332 170 The Poster and the Posters of the 1990s Russian Avant-Garde 344 Chinese Posters 182 The 1930s 356 The Poster since 2005 198 The Political Poster and World War Ⅱ 372 Printing Techniques 206 The 1950s 374 Notes 210 Historical Overview: 379 Developments Image Rights after World War Ⅱ 380 Index 222 The Polish Poster 384 Imprint Jürgen Döring In 1966, the Polish poster artist Jan Lenica observed: “The poster undoubtedly has a function, it has a job to do, and it must fulfill this duty. However, its meaning lies not in what it has to convey, but in what it has to say in itself.” The “meaning” of posters, what makes them special and leads to their being admired many years after their creation, is the subject of this publication and the accompanying exhibition. We consider posters as an artistic genre that has its own history, its own artists, and its own designers. Although the main task of posters is advertisement, our focus has been primarily on design innovation and artistic quality. Introduction without actually advertising anything. As a rule, they were sold to Diversity and classification enthusiasts and collectors through poster stores. The majority of these decorative posters were created between the 1960s and the The variety of themes that we see on posters today developed 1980s. Many of them, and often the best, come from the former gradually. The first posters advertised events: theater productions, Eastern bloc countries, Poland in particular. The situation is sim- concerts, or troupes of traveling performers. These early printed ilar in the case of so-called “gig posters” — concert posters which announcements were simple in design. They generally contained are not used for advertising, but which have been sold to collectors longer texts, accentuated by bold headlines, and often used sim- and fans as small-format silkscreen prints since the 1990s. Artists’ ple woodcuts or decorative frames as eye-catching features to posters, decorative posters, and gig posters do not normally attract complement the text. much attention on the art market or design scene. In a history of Until well into the nineteenth century, however, in many the poster, however, they should not be omitted entirely. places only official announcements were allowed to be posted Let us return to the three major thematic areas: cultural and publicly. An example from the princely city of Güstrow shows political posters, and product advertising. The different roles that how this led to some strange practices. The city boasted a princely these thematic areas played at different times and in different theater, which was visited regularly by groups of traveling players. countries are important in the history of the poster. In Parisian They were not allowed to post their announcements (which have Art Nouveau the most interesting designs could be found mainly been preserved in the Güstrow city archive) in the streets, but only among revue and theater posters. By contrast, the German Sach- in specific, but generally accessible, entrance halls. The public plakat or “object poster” before World War I was dominated by display of commercial advertising had been permitted in France product advertising. Things looked different in the 1920s, when since the 1789 Revolution and in England too from the eighteenth outstanding work was produced in all three areas — albeit unevenly century. But in the German states, with a few exceptions, it was distributed. During World War I, political posters were inevitably apparently not until after the revolutionary years of 1848 / 49 that to be found in all the countries involved. After the war, political posters could be displayed publicly. posters of lasting importance emerged, particularly in the Ger- Advertising of consumer goods only appeared later, initially man Reich and the new Soviet Union, while in France revue and in the form of small advertisements and adhesive labels. In this theater posters came to prominence after World War I, during sector, posters only emerged in the mid-nineteenth century, and the Art Deco period. from the start they looked different from event posters. Most of Product advertising, which had led the way in all three the- them were so-called “chromolithographs,” elaborately printed matic areas in terms of both numbers and turnover since the color lithographs that were too delicate to be displayed outside in 1920s, would become increasingly uninteresting in design terms. all weathers. They were highly detailed, painting-like creations to Innovative poster designers received fewer and fewer orders from be admired at leisure within stores and at close range. the commercial sector. The work of a few Parisian poster artists In the period after 1890, when modern, artistic posters ap- formed a notable exception, especially that of A.M. Cassandre, peared in Paris, within just a few years both event posters and who created product advertising almost exclusively. But among product advertising adopted the progressive forms of the Parisian the great Art Deco designers there were others who also regularly Art Nouveau poster. designed posters for consumer goods. Raymond Savignac and Political posters, the third major thematic area after posters Bernard Villemot continued this tradition in France well beyond advertising culture and consumer goods, had already appeared World War II, but they were exceptions. Starting with the Unit- sporadically since the French Revolution. But they only emerged ed States, modern agencies had long since taken over product in larger numbers and underwent continuous development at the advertising, ensuring that a corporate identity was respected. time of the outbreak of World War I. Under these conditions, individual poster designs have very few Posters in the areas of culture, consumer goods, and poli- opportunities. tics can be usefully classified according to the client in question. Since World War II, innovative poster designs have been In the cultural field there are, for example, exhibition, theater, created almost exclusively for clients in the cultural sector, in movie, and music posters, as well as advertising for a wide variety particular for theaters and museums. In this industry, state subsi- of media, from the early book posters around 1830 to today’s an- dies created and still continue to create artistic freedom which is nouncements of new websites. Product advertising can be divided often reflected in imaginative and experimental designs. However, up according to the various economic sectors — car and bicycle since the 1990s marketing strategies have increasingly been setting posters, fashion and food posters, perfume, cigarettes, and much the agenda in this sector as well, and thus limiting the scope of more. Political posters can be classified in line with their historical individual design work. background. They began in 1914 with war posters, followed by election posters — in democracies — and propaganda posters in dictatorships. Protest posters only became more prevalent after Posters in literature 1968, whereas public information posters — for example about road safety or sexually transmitted diseases — appeared in increas- In the early 1890s, Paris succumbed to the craze of affichomanie, ing numbers from the mid-twentieth century onwards. or “poster mania.” The overwhelming success of the artistic poster There are a few exceptional cases that do not fit into this was expressed in newspaper articles, books, and exhibition cat- classification by theme and client. They include artists’ posters — alogs. In Paris, Ernest Maindron published Les Affiches illustrées posters that are designed by visual artists rather than professional (1886 – 1895), which provided the first overview of French posters; designers, and that stand out as something special because of Picture Posters (1895) by Charles Hiatt appeared in London; and their personal style. Although most artists’ posters are exhibition two years later, Das moderne Plakat was published by Jean Louis posters, they also include some remarkable political posters and Sponsel in Dresden. These books contained numerous illustra- sometimes even product advertisements. Artists’ posters have ex- tions, many of them in color — a great rarity at the time. The first isted since Expressionism around 1910,

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