Herbert Matter was a Swiss-born American photographer and graphic designer. He was born in Engelberg, on April 25, 1907. Matter studied painting at the École des Beaux-Arts in Geneva and the Académie Moderne in Paris with Fernand Léger and Amédée Ozenfant. He worked with Adolphe Mouron Cassandre, Le Corbusier and Deberny & Peignot. In 1932, he returned to Zürich, where he designed posters for the Swiss National Tourist Office and Swiss resorts. The travel posters won instant international acclaim for his pioneering use of photomontage combined with the typeface. He went to the United States in 1936 and was hired by legendary art director Alexey Brodovitch. He soon started working for Harper's Bazaar, Vogue and other magazines. In the 1940s, photographers, including Irving Penn, used Vogue’s studios at 480 Lexington Avenue for shooting the advertising work commissioned by outside clients. The practice was at first tolerated but by 1950 it was banned because it interfered with Vogue’s interests and was a severe handicap to their editorial operations. In response to this, Matter and three other Condé Nast photographers, Serge Balkin, Constantin Joffé and Geoffrey Baker left to establish Studio Enterprises Inc. in the former House & Garden studio on 37th Street. From 1946–66, Matter was a design consultant with Knoll Associates and worked closely with Charles and Ray Eames. From 1952–76, he was a professor of photography at Yale University and from 1958–68 he served as design consultant to Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. He was elected to the New York Art Directors Club Hall of Fame in 1977, received a Guggenheim Fellowship in photography in 1980 and the American Institute of Graphic Arts medal in 1983. As a photographer, Matter won acclaim for his purely visual approach. A master technician, he used every method available to achieve his vision of light, form and texture. Manipulation of the negative, retouching, cropping, enlarging and light drawing are some of the techniques he used to achieve the fresh form he sought in his still lifes, landscapes, nudes and portraits. As a filmmaker, he directed two films on his friend Alexander Calder, namely Sculptures and Constructions in 1944 and Works of Calder with music by John Cage for the Museum of Modern Art in 1950. Close friends of Matter and his wife Mercedes were the painters Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, fellow Swiss photographer Robert Frank and Alberto Giacometti. Matter's wife Mercedes was the daughter of the American modernist painter Arthur Beecher Carles, and was herself the chief founder of the New York Studio School. “The absence of pomposity was characteristic of this guy”, said another designer, Paul Rand, about Matter. His creative life was devoted to narrowing the gap between the so-called fine and applied arts. Matter died on May 8, 1984, in Southampton, New York.
Original Vintage Travel Poster Switzerland En Route Pour La Suisse Mountains
By Herbert Matter
Located in London, GB
Original vintage travel advertising poster - On the Road to Switzerland / En Route Pour La Suisse - issued by the Swiss National Tourist Office ONST featuring a great design by the n...
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$1,958
H 40.16 in W 24.81 in D 0.04 in
Original Vintage Swiss Travel Poster, Interlaken, Mountains and Ski, 1950
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Original Vintage Poster-Suisse-Interlaken-Montagne-Ski, c.1950 Poster to promote tourism in the city of Interlaken during the summer period (April to October). Additional detai...
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1995 La Haine (French) Original Vintage Poster
Located in Winchester, GB
Released in 1995, Mathieu Kassovitz's classic "La Haine", or "Hate" stars Vincent Cassel, Hubert Kounde and Said Taghmaoui as Vinz, Hubert and Said as three friends in a Paris suburb...
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1995 La Haine (French) Original Vintage Poster
Located in Winchester, GB
Released in 1995, Mathieu Kassovitz's classic "La Haine", or "Hate" stars Vincent Cassel, Hubert Kounde and Said Taghmaoui as Vinz, Hubert and Said as three friends in a Paris suburb...
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Original Vintage Australian Travel Poster, c. 1959 "Canada"
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
From the series on animals, commemorating Qantas’ inaugural round the world service in the 1950s. Qantas first issued this series as screen-prints in the 1950s, using a Constellation...
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AIR-INDIA - MOSCOW Original Vintage Airline Travel Poster
Located in Chicago, IL
AIR-INDIA - MOSCOW Rare authentic original vintage airline travel poster Artist: Walter Grieder Condition: A/A- Dimensions: 25.2 x 39.2 in. / 64 x 99.5...
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$8,000
H 40.9 in W 31 in D 0.1 in
LA CHAINE DU MONT-BLANC - CHAMONIX Original Vintage Art Deco Travel Poster
By Roger Broders
Located in Chicago, IL
LA CHAINE DU MONT-BLANC - L'AGUILLE DU DRU - CHAMONIX - PLM Authentic and rare original vintage antique lithographic travel poster Artist: Roger Broders Condition: B+/B Dimensions: 3...
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$1,750
H 39.8 in W 30.1 in D 0.1 in
AMERICAN AIRLINES - CALIFORNIA TEXAS Original Vintage Airline Travel Poster
By Edward McKnight Kauffer
Located in Chicago, IL
AMERICAN AIRLINES - CALIFORNIA ARIZONA TEXAS NEW MEXICO Rare authentic original vintage airline travel poster Artist: E. McKnight Kauffer Condition: B+ Dimensions: 30.1 x 39.8 in. / 76.5 x 101 cm. Circa: 1948 Linen Backed There is edge and corner wear and small tears, most noticeable along the upper left edge; airbrushing has been performed at the bottom corners to address tape staining but the staining is still somewhat noticeable; some surface smudges/scuffs; poster should display very nicely once framed. A masterwork of mid-century graphic design, this original American Airlines travel poster...
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$1,800
H 24 in W 19.3 in D 0.1 in
PAN AM ROUTES OF THE FLYING CLIPPER SHIPS Original Vintage Airline Travel Poster
Located in Chicago, IL
PAN AM - ON THE ROUTES OF THE FLYING CLIPPER SHIPS - SOUTH AMERICA Rare authentic original vintage airline travel map poster Artist: Kenneth W. Thompson Condition: A- Dimensions: 19.3 x 24 in. / 49 x 61 cm. Circa: 1940s Linen Backed There are some surface abrasions and tiny stains spots in the margins, most noticeable in the top margin; otherwise, this wonderful Pan Am airline...
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NORMANDIE - FRENCH LINE Original Vintage Travel Poster
By Adolphe Mouron Cassandre
Located in Chicago, IL
NORMANDIE - FRENCH LINE Authentic original vintage art deco poster Artist: Adolph Mouron Cassandre Condition: B+ Dimensions: 24.3 x 39.25 in. / 61.7 x 99.7 cm. Circa: 1935 Linen Backed There is restored edge and corner wear, tears, creasing, and small losses; there is a .75" diameter area of restored loss about one inch below the "W" of "NEW YORK;" some restored surface cracks in the upper right quarter of the poster in the blue sky area; restored loss upper right corner; very well restored 2" vertical tear at the top edge in between the left edge and the ship's stack; "PRINTED IN FRANCE" ink stamp in the bottom margin on the right side; this extremely rare and stunning art deco ocean liner poster...
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$900
H 42.52 in W 27.56 in D 0.04 in
Original Mid-Century Travel Poster, 'SWITZERLAND' Ski Poster, c. 1980
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
This is an original vintage poster, it is advertising skiing in Switzerland This is an original vintage poster Artist Anonymous Year 1980s Dimensions 108 x 70cm Condition ...
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HOLLAND-AMERIKA LINIE Original Vintage Art Deco Travel Poster
Located in Chicago, IL
HOLLAND-AMERIKA LINIE HOLLAND-AMERICA LINE Rare authentic original vintage art deco ocean liner poster Artist: Willem Frederick Ten Broek Condition:...
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2016 La La Land Original Vintage Poster
Located in Winchester, GB
Damien Chazelle's "La La Land" was released in 2016 and was a critical and commercial smash hit. Starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone as a jazz pianist and aspir...
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WWII Poster "America Calling, " Vintage Patriotic Poster, 1941
By Herbert Matter
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Offered is an original WWII lithograph poster designed by Herbert Matter. Printed in 1941 by the U.S. Printing Office, this war poster was published by the Information for Emergency Management in Washington D.C. In red and white block letters, the top of the poster reads, “AMERICA CALLING,” while the bottom text reads, “Take your place in Civilian Defense.” A photographed bald eagle, by Arthur H. Fisher, spreads it wings with streaks of color giving the impression of flight. Herbert Matter’s printed signature lies just above the eagle’s wing and the overall image instills a sense of urgency and determination in a tumultuous time. Published the same year the U.S. entered the Second World War, this poster urged people to get more involved in civil defense. Civil defense is defined as all nonmilitary action done to defend life and property from the enemy. This included civilian training in firefighting, first aid, and air raid drills. This poster would have targeted the general population to do all they could to prepare to follow instructions, assist others who may need help, and help the overall war cause in the event of a homeland emergency. Condition: Overall very good condition. One small paint spot present just below the eagle’s foot...
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Herbert Matter Collage Mock-Up for the Knoll, 1948 Catalog
By Herbert Matter, Knoll
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
Herbert Matter was the design consultant for all Knoll graphics from 1946-1966. This collage mock-up was modified for the famous cover of Knoll's 1948 catalog....
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