Lot 31: POSTER: SVEN BRASCH (1886-1970). ANDREASEN &

SVEN BRASCH (1886-1970) ANDREASEN & LACHMANN / PLAKATER. 1912.
35 1/2x24 1/4 inches, 90x61 1/2 cm. Andreasen & Lachmann, [Copenhagen.]
Condition B+: repaired tears and overpainting in top margin and corners; vertical and horizontal folds; repaired tears at edges.
The Golden Age of Danish posters was in the 1920s. Denmark's neutrality during the First World War allowed the country to continue trading with both the British and the Germans, and as a result, the small Nordic nation experienced unprecedented prosperity. When the Jazz Age exploded on the scene, Denmark, with its Tivoli Gardens, theatres, cabarets and restaurants, embraced the decade with a previously unimagined graphic excellence. Distinguishing elements of Danish graphic design include "flat, strong colors in a simplified design, a style similar to German posters of the period 1900-1910 . . . [but] using new elements, notably humor and wit." [They were] lively, innovative images unlike those made elsewhere. Their economical use of means and sense of wit and cleverness . . . and their superb draughtsmanship and versatility . . . made the Danish poster a distinct and admirable art form" (Dailey-Turner, introduction). This is the most significant collection of Danish posters to come to auction in many years. Sven Brasch studied art in Munich and Paris, and lived in New York for two years before finally returning to Copenhagen. Although he is primarily known for the numerous movie posters he designed, his work also includes wonderful examples of theatrical, exhibition and product posters. He was awarded the coveted Grand Prize for graphic design at the seminal 1925 Paris Art Deco Exhibition. This was one of Brasch's first posters, promoting the great Danish lithography house of Andreasen & Lachmann. "The work displays several of what would come to be considered distinct Brasch features; solid flat colors; unprinted white paper as a design element; and elegant, witty women. Another hallmark was the use of what might be termed decadent, geometric shapes, often for facial features, a device he employed with brilliance and playfulness throughout his career." (Victoria Dailey, Journal of Decorative and Propaganda Arts, Summer 1990, p. 4). DAPA p. 5, Le Coultre 204, Wember 148.