The Poster – Between Art, Advertisement and Politics

Jules Chéret lead the way for this art form and Henri Toulouse-Lautrec perfected it: At the end of the 19th century the poster was not merely a means of advertisement or political campaigns. Sketched by artists, posters became a favourable artwork to collect, poster-societies were installed and poster-exhibitions presented the diversity of designs. The Affichomanie reached its climax.

After the turn of the century, the enthusiasm for the poster dwindled and sketches were designed by advertising experts. Still, more recently, artists like Warhol, Tapies or Polke committed themselves to the poster again.