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Modiano. 1933. Franz Lenhart.
39 1/8 x 55 in./99.3 x 139.6 cm
For the Modiano brand of prefabricated rolling paper tubes, Lenhart plays us an engaging optical game of silhouettes: the black outfit of the Garbo-like femme fatale like a cutout against the green background, the blouse and the hand cut out in turn from the black; standing out from both, the warmly glowing face and the white cigarette. Most elegant! Born in Bavaria, Lenhart studied in Italy and settled there permanently in 1922 to work and teach.
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Philippossian Automobiles. 1920. Charles Loupot.
50 ¾ x 35 3/8 in./128.8 x 90 cm
A flame-haired Femme Fatale, dressed in black, launches this midnight-blue beast of an auto into the foggy night: a masterpiece! Exceptionally rare, this poster finds Loupot at the absolute apex of his transition period between Switzerland and France, between domestic traditionalism and aggressive Modernist experimentation. According to Loupot’s son, Jean-Marie, until this point Loupot was hired by printers; this was likely his first direct commission from the advertiser (alongside his wildly successful Philippossian Cigarettes, see PAI-LXX, 443). The typeface, with which he’d been experimenting with since at least the previous year (see “Plantol,” PAI-XXI, 270) now achieves a refined state of Deco precision. This poster appears to be the sole remnant of any flirtation the advertiser Charles Philippossian had with the auto industry. However, it’s clear that the brilliance of this piece served as Loupot’s introduction to an entirely new market, as a creator of the new Art Deco aesthetic. In the following years, he’d create superb work for Swiss Grand Prix autos and motorcycles; Austin Tractors; and Voisin Autos, before defining the industrial Art Deco aesthetic at the 1925 Expo, and with classics such as “Stop-Fire.” An important work by this artist. Exceptionally rare.
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Salmson. ca. 1929. Alexis Kow.
42 ¾ x 62 5/8 in./108.6 x 159 cm
Salmson began as a manufacturer of water-cooled airplane engines. Consequently, the poster boasts that the car has the precision of these airplane motors. Their first automobiles appeared in 1921, and graduated from amusing cyclecars to sports cars, and from there to majestic luxury sedans like this one. In 1925, Salmson won 76 races and set 14 speed records for its class. Russian-born Kow created smart and sleek automobile print advertisements and posters. Here, he makes effective use of strong, flat colors, with the Salmon insignia shining above, as the blurry whir of a plane engine spins in the background.
Available at auction June 26. Learn more >>
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Liberator Cycles & Automobiles. 1899. Pal.
54 5/8 x 76 7/8 in./138.7 x 195.3 cm
It’s one of the most famous posters in the world: often copied, often poorly. This is the original – in the original large format of the design – and this one, in particular, has vibrant coloration and exquisite detail that we rarely see. (Note our Valkyrie’s chain-mail miniskirt, with textured rings and metallic shimmer.) Pal’s triumph here is the culmination of the “Bicycle Craze” of the 1890s, which indeed delivered liberation for female riders and sparked the modern women’s rights movement. This is the original large format of the design.
Available at auction June 26. Learn More>>
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American Crescent Cycles. 1899. Frederick Winthrop Ramsdell.
42 ¾ x 62 7/8 in./108.6 x 159.8 cm
Ramsdell studied at the Art Students League of New York, then left for Paris, where his work was shown at the Paris Salon between 1891 and 1898. This was the sweet spot for the French advertising poster, of course, and especially the work of Eugene Grasset, whose style Ramsdell appropriates in spectacular style.
Available at auction June 26.
Learn more about our selection of rare bicycle posters >>
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Dirnentragodie (“Tragedy of the Street”). 1927. Josef Fenneker.
36 ½ x 72 1/8 in./92.7 x 183.2 cm
You can already see, in this riveting two-sheet poster, why the Danish actress Asta Nielsen was the first international star of silent film: the large dark eyes, a haunted face, her boyish figure. She often portrayed headstrong, passionate women trapped by tragic circumstances: transforming this melodramatic trope with naturalism and overt eroticism – leading her films to be heavily censored in the U.S. “Dirnentragodie,” or ‘Tragedy of the Street,’ was Nielsen’s final silent role. The film epitomizes the Weimar movement called The New Objectivity, which tried to create a middle ground between Brechtian alienation and Expressionist emotionalism by forcing middle-class characters into the oppressive social circumstances of the street. “Dirnentragodie” features Nielsen as an aging prostitute who takes in a young man running away from his middle-class family. She fantasizes about a different future; the man returns to his family; she’s accused of murdering her pimp. This 1927 Fenneker design was used for the release of the film in Vienna.
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Sans titre - Hongrie - 2021
photographie argentique - Agfa APX 400
Hélène Thiennot
