Golf | 1936

Golf Lausanne, 1936, by Fortuné Bovard

This striking Art Deco poster features a panoramic view of the Lausanne Golf Club in Switzerland, rendered in bold, flat colours with a modernist sensibility. The composition presents a sweeping view of the undulating 18-hole golf course with its distinctive rolling fairways in varying shades of green and sandy bunkers highlighted in white and reddish accents. In the foreground, dark silhouetted trees frame the scene, while the mid-ground showcases the verdant golf course dotted with trees. The background reveals a picturesque Swiss landscape with a small village featuring distant church spires, a serene lake, and majestic blue mountains with snow-capped peaks against a pale yellow sky. Bold green lettering spelling "GOLF" dominates the top of the poster, while "LAUSANNE" appears in yellow at the bottom, with "SUISSE SWITZERLAND SCHWEIZ" in smaller red text beneath, indicating the multilingual character of Switzerland. The notation "18 holes 6000 y" appears discreetly in the lower right corner.

This 1936 poster was created during a significant period for both golf tourism and the Lausanne Golf Club. Founded in 1921 by industrialist Oscar Dollfus on land leased from the Lausanne municipal authorities, the club had expanded to a full 18-hole course by 1931. By the time this poster was commissioned in 1936, the Lausanne Golf Club had established itself as one of Switzerland's premier courses, situated at an altitude of 850 metres on the upper slopes of Lausanne with spectacular views of Lake Geneva and the Alps. The 1930s represented the golden age of golf tourism in Switzerland, when the sport had become increasingly popular among both locals and international visitors. This poster was part of Switzerland's broader tourism promotion efforts during the interwar period, when the country was positioning itself as a luxury destination for sporting holidays. The advertisement highlights the technical specifications of the course—18 holes covering 6000 yards—to appeal to serious golfers looking for challenging play in a magnificent Alpine setting.

Fortuné Bovard (1875-1947) was a Swiss artist from Fribourg whose artistic education spanned several prestigious institutions across Europe, including art schools in Geneva, Basel, Munich, and Paris. This international training is reflected in his sophisticated design aesthetic, which combines elements of Swiss precision with broader European Art Deco influences. Bovard developed a reputation for creating eye-catching travel and tourism posters that captured the essence of Swiss destinations with bold colours and simplified forms.