The fabled Dr. Hans Sachs Poster Collection
March 30, 2013 3:25 PM Subscribe
...is universally described as being the most significant collection of its type in existence (scroll down). About 4500 posters from a collection of around 12500 were recovered from Germany recently and auctioned (view here) during three sessions in NYC. Day 2 and Day 3 of the auctions for more Plakatstil.
Interesting that his taste included Nazi propaganda posters; truly a collector.
posted by jadepearl at 3:43 PM on March 30, 2013
posted by jadepearl at 3:43 PM on March 30, 2013
They seem to run the gamut. Some anti-Nazi, others in Hebrew, and I'm not sure what this one is about
posted by destro at 3:49 PM on March 30, 2013
posted by destro at 3:49 PM on March 30, 2013
college dorm decoration renaissance in 3... 2... 1...
I think the people who sell posters by the ton on college campuses already bring some of these, but not in such variety. They're also sold in non-college specific venues. Searching online, I found Hans Rudi Erdt's Opel poster, printed on canvas of all silly things.
As I'm assuming these pre-war posters are long out of copyright (if they were ever in), I wonder if anyone has good high quality digital archives online.
posted by filthy light thief at 4:08 PM on March 30, 2013
I think the people who sell posters by the ton on college campuses already bring some of these, but not in such variety. They're also sold in non-college specific venues. Searching online, I found Hans Rudi Erdt's Opel poster, printed on canvas of all silly things.
As I'm assuming these pre-war posters are long out of copyright (if they were ever in), I wonder if anyone has good high quality digital archives online.
posted by filthy light thief at 4:08 PM on March 30, 2013
As the student graduated into the world of dentistry, so did his collection grow.
Once more, MetaFilter provides me with a sentence that brings me deep joy.
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:01 PM on March 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
Once more, MetaFilter provides me with a sentence that brings me deep joy.
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:01 PM on March 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
Interesting that his taste included Nazi propaganda posters; truly a collector.
Well, collection does not imply endorsement, by any means. It isn't at all the same thing as decorating a dorm room, after all (and even then, one might choose something for simply being provocative). One may collect for completeness, for historical importance, or simply for market value.
posted by dhartung at 5:05 PM on March 30, 2013
Well, collection does not imply endorsement, by any means. It isn't at all the same thing as decorating a dorm room, after all (and even then, one might choose something for simply being provocative). One may collect for completeness, for historical importance, or simply for market value.
posted by dhartung at 5:05 PM on March 30, 2013
Some more on the 'Hebrew' poster:
It's actually in a mixture of Yiddish and Hungarian. Új Kelet is the name of a Hungarian Zionist newspaper that started publishing after the First World War and carried on until 1940. The baby is being held up to a sun, in the shape of the star of David, upon which is written 'Zion'. Around it are the palm trees of the middle east.
I can't read the text on the right, but on the left it says 'Hungarian language Jewish newspaper' in Hungarian. The Yiddish text is harder to make out, but I think it roughly translates as 'study and be changed' or 'study and change'.
So on one level it's a pretty straight-forward Zionist poster, but the message carries a jarring resonance to the modern viewer. For the 'Magen David sun' looks like nothing so much as the yellow star which the Nazis would force Jewish people to wear only a few years later. It's a strange and fascinating poster.
posted by Dreadnought at 5:10 PM on March 30, 2013 [3 favorites]
It's actually in a mixture of Yiddish and Hungarian. Új Kelet is the name of a Hungarian Zionist newspaper that started publishing after the First World War and carried on until 1940. The baby is being held up to a sun, in the shape of the star of David, upon which is written 'Zion'. Around it are the palm trees of the middle east.
I can't read the text on the right, but on the left it says 'Hungarian language Jewish newspaper' in Hungarian. The Yiddish text is harder to make out, but I think it roughly translates as 'study and be changed' or 'study and change'.
So on one level it's a pretty straight-forward Zionist poster, but the message carries a jarring resonance to the modern viewer. For the 'Magen David sun' looks like nothing so much as the yellow star which the Nazis would force Jewish people to wear only a few years later. It's a strange and fascinating poster.
posted by Dreadnought at 5:10 PM on March 30, 2013 [3 favorites]
I think the people who sell posters by the ton on college campuses already bring some of these, but not in such variety. They're also sold in non-college specific venues. Searching online, I found Hans Rudi Erdt's Opel poster, printed on canvas of all silly things.
I like how they propagate through the country in waves... le chat noir and cinzano are still very widespread, to say nothing of the ubiquitous keep calm and carry on, but there is a fresh round of absinthe-drinking cat posters that I am always pleased to see turning up in coffeeshops and apartments everywhere these days. I assume before long this batch will provide some fresh blood.
posted by lefty lucky cat at 7:38 PM on March 30, 2013
I like how they propagate through the country in waves... le chat noir and cinzano are still very widespread, to say nothing of the ubiquitous keep calm and carry on, but there is a fresh round of absinthe-drinking cat posters that I am always pleased to see turning up in coffeeshops and apartments everywhere these days. I assume before long this batch will provide some fresh blood.
posted by lefty lucky cat at 7:38 PM on March 30, 2013
I know the nazis stole it, but i hate that stuff that was in public is sold off to private. I dunno... i had always wanted to see Alexanderplatz, now it's in a bank vault...
posted by maiamaia at 7:36 AM on March 31, 2013
posted by maiamaia at 7:36 AM on March 31, 2013
I dunno, i just always feel public ownership of art is progress, private is regression - it's like city parks, they're worth more built on but that's so regressive. With paintings especially, there's only one - you can either see it or you can't (if it's in a museum vault, you can request to), and no reproduction is like the flesh. It's like having no public access to education or something. If painting is the thing you love most in the world, or art, for it all to be hidden is heartbreaking. Worst of all, it's not being admired in a private home, it's literally just in a bank vault or similar being hoarded to keep its value as an investment up, like gold ingots. But gold ingots only have monetary value. The whole value of a painting isn't monetary, it's desirability comes from its truth, beauty, ability to inspire emotion or what not. So ti's a complete and total perversion to hide it out of sight, and its best use to be on public display. I'm not justifying the nazis, but they didn't steal it for museums, they just stole it for individuals, museums is the solution we ended up with when the nazis fell, so this isn't reversal of nazi acts but of later ones. For the same reason i don't care about the huge collection of looted paintings in Russian museums (often looted back off the nazis i think i read here), people there are poor, if they can see art that's a good thing. Rant over.
posted by maiamaia at 7:43 AM on March 31, 2013
posted by maiamaia at 7:43 AM on March 31, 2013
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posted by lefty lucky cat at 3:35 PM on March 30, 2013