The Magic of Things explores a former advertising strategy of Swiss product posters in which banal, everyday objects―butter, a sewing machine, or shoes―are presented as desirable objects enticing us to buy. Free from any further contextualization, the objects acquire a sensual presence and magical aura. The product poster had its heyday in Switzerland in the 1940s with designers such as Niklaus Stoecklin, Peter Birkhäuser, or Otto Baumberger. As consumer society developed, however, the exclusive focus on the product and the brand name was no longer enough―in advertising, the feelings associated with the object as it related to life grew increasingly important. Today it is in the cultural poster that the magical depiction of things is experiencing a kind of renaissance.

The Magic of Things: Poster Collection 24

Arts & Photography

Breuer, Gerda

Graphic Design

Lars Müller Publishers

A Ludwig Meidner: 1884-1966 (English and German Edition)

Meidner, Ludwig

Wagemann, Ines

Institut Mathildenhohe (Stadtmuseum Darmstadt)

Verlag Gerd Hatje

From its founding in 1919, the function and identity of the Bauhaus was mobilized by warring factions, as it passed through the guiding hands of its three directors (the apolitical Walter Gropius, the Communist Hannes Meyer and the progressive Mies van der Rohe). Even beyond the well-known controversies that arose between colleagues during the heroic Bauhaus years, the reception and legacy of the various Modernist icons associated with the Bauhaus led to dispute: Socialists, Communists, Nazis, Stalinists, Capitalists, Cold Warriors, student revolutionaries in the 1960s and later dissidents, all have created their own image of the Bauhaus. Bauhaus Conflicts 1919-2009 examines the critical reception of the legendary school, its teachers, students and pedagogical philosophy and the battles over its legacy that continue to this day.

Bauhaus Conflicts 1919-2009: Controversies and Counterparts

Droste, Magdalena

Etzold, Jörn

History & Criticism

Hatje Cantz

The twentieth century was--among all else--a century of things. From the handmade object to the mass produced, these things that once served a purpose soon became harbingers of beauty, modernity and innovation. Beyond the material, these objects have stimulated fantasies that convey an image about a time and a place, so that now even an everyday telephone or radio that has long been discontinued can experience a rebirth as a cult object only to be purchased for lofty sums of money at an auction. The Ecstasy of Things illustrates how product photography reflects the world of things as captured in varying lights for designers, manufacturers and advertising agencies. Collected here are nearly 500 photographs--many of which were unearthed from company and agency archives worldwide on behalf of the Fotomuseum Winterthur and the Swiss Photography Foundation. This book most impressively demonstrates how the emotional and symbolic content of an object was represented through the changing tastes and aesthetics throughout the twentieth century. At the same time, the collection is a wealth of forms, a colorful compendium of design and a photographic history of the past century as illustrated through our possessions.

The Ecstasy Of Things: From Functional Object to Fetish in Twentieth Century Photography

Bolz, Norbert

Cummings, Neil

Photography & Video

Steidl/Fotomuseum Winterthur/Museo Fotografia Contemporanea, Cinisello Balsamo

Bilingual edition (English/German) / Zweisprachige Ausgabe (deutsch/englisch) Byand large, women have been left out of the history of graphic design.If, however, we look beyond the surface of this familiar account, theinfluence women have had on the discipline right from the start becomesclear. In this context, female graphic designers developed their owntraditions, conducted dialogues and discourse, acted as role models forother women, created networks, and proved their capacity forself-empowerment. Rather than simply augmenting existing accounts withthe addition of exceptional women, Gerda Breuer identifies theformats--such as women's collectives, workshops, and (more recently)digital platforms--they used to make a mark on the world. Bothlittle-known collectives and renowned graphic designers such as LyubovPopova, Änne Koken, Ethel Reed, and Sarah Wyman Whitman contributed tothe history of graphic design. Breuer's approach demonstrates the waysthat women's important contributions been devalued, ignored, orrelegated to the background--in short, made to disappear--in the narrativethat is usually presented. In the context of contemporary challenges tothe traditional canon of graphic design, integrating thesecontributions into design history is long overdue. Die Geschichte des Grafikdesigns ist weitgehend ohne Frauen geschrieben worden. Blickt man jedoch unter die Oberfläche dieser Erzählung, wird der Einfluss sichtbar, den sie von Anfang an auf das Geschehen hatten: Grafikdesignerinnen bildeten eigene Traditionen, stellten dialogische Bezüge her, wurden Vorbilder für andere Frauen, knüpften Netzwerke, erprobten sich in Selbstermächtigung. Ohne die etablierte Erzählform einfach nur um außergewöhnliche Frauen ergänzen zu wollen, beleuchtet Gerda Breuer, auf welche Formate - Frauenkollektive, Workshops und heute digitale Plattformen - Frauen zurückgriffen, um sichtbar zu werden. Bekannte Grafikdesignerinnen wie Ljubow Popowa, Änne Koken, Ethel Reed oder Sarah Wyman Whitman spielten hierbei ebenso eine Rolle wie völlig unbekannte Kollektive. Breuer zeigt, dass deren bedeutende Beiträge in der Rezeptionsgeschichte verschwunden, abgewertet, ignoriert oder in den Hintergrund gedrängt wurden. Aufgrund der aktuellen Infragestellung des traditionellen Kanons ist die Integration solcher Beiträge in die Designgeschichte längst u&#776;berfällig.

HerStories in Graphic Design: Dialogue, continuity, self-empowerment. Women graphic designers from 1880 until today / Dialoge, Kontinutitäten, Selbstermächtigungen. Grafikdesignerinnen 1880 bis heute

JOVIS

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