Kurt Wirth

Graphis 082, 1959

Content includes:
Hans Pflug(Zurich): Tomi Ungerer
Dr. Willy Rotzler (Zurich): Swiss Posters 1958
Vanni Scheiwiller (Milano): Amedeo Modigliani. Drawings
Franz Hermann Wills (Berlin): Werner Klemke
Alain Jouffroy(Paris): Unesco (Paris). A work that expresses the spirit and the contradictions of the 20th century.
Dr. Willy Rotzler (Zurich): Kurt Wirth
Herb Lubalin (New York): The Typographic Image in America
Virgilo Guzzi (Roma): Modern Ceramics in Italy
Tamara Talbot Rice (Edinburgh): The Art of the Scythian Nomads

Details

Kurt Wirth
Kurt Wirth was born in Bern in 1917 and studied graphics from 1933 to 1936. He  opened his illustration studio in 1937, working with newspapers and magazines. His first exhibition took place in 1943. In 1951, he traveled to Paris, southern France, and Italy, expanding his work to include posters for Swissair, exhibitions, and tourism. From 1956 to 1959, he led the Association of Swiss Graphic Designers. In 1960, he resumed art and study trips to various countries and designed book covers for Fischer editions, posters for pharmaceutical companies, and wrote a drawing manual in 1965. Explore related designers including Donald Brun and Herbert Leupin. See also Swiss graphic design history and 1950s graphic design history.
Graphis
Graphis is an international magazine founded in 1944 featuring graphic design, advertising, and illustration from around the world.

Linked Information

Graphis 82, 1959. Cover design by Kurt Wirth.
Graphis 82, 1959. Cover design by Kurt Wirth.
More graphic design artefacts
More graphic design history articles
The 1950s and 1960s Advertisements of Kast + Ehinger (K+E)

Advertising Design, Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content

The 1950s and 1960s Advertisements of Kast + Ehinger (K+E)

As part of their marketing strategy, Kast + Ehinger, commissioned a selection of German designers to produce advertisements aimed at the design industry. I have scanned in quite a lot of their advertising matter, all of which were back-page advertisements from three German design magazines. Der Druckspiegel, Gebrauchsgraphik and Graphik – Werbung + Formgebung.

Read Article
Armin Hofmann and the Stadttheater Basel by Jürg Federspiel, 1962

Design Archive Feature, Poster Design, Regional Histories

Armin Hofmann and the Stadttheater Basel by Jürg Federspiel, 1962

Armin Hofmann's publicity for the Stadttheater Basel. The client, in this case, the Municipal Theater of Basel, refused to listen to narrow-minded critics, in spite of the fact that as a state-subsidized enterprise it is accountable to public opinion.

Read Article
Rob Walker (Signs by Umberto)- Precision, Craft and the Love of Letters

Designer Interview

Rob Walker (Signs by Umberto)- Precision, Craft and the Love of Letters

I have known Rob for over a decade and I have been a huge admirer of his work. He specialises in reverse gilded glass sign making, typographic murals and traditional sign-writing.

Read Article