Forster Teil-Ausverkauf | 1930

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Forster Teil-Ausverkauf, 1930, by Otto Baumberger

This strikingly minimalist poster features a bold geometric design on a cream-colored background. The focal point is a large diagonal black rectangle that is cropped at the edges of the poster. The poster was produced using linoleum cut printing technique by J.C. Müller A.G. in Zürich. In the bottom right corner, the text "FORSTER TEIL-AUSVERKAUF" (Forster Partial Sale) appears in bold, modernist typography, with dates "15. JANUAR - 13. FEBRUAR" (January 15 - February 13) and the location "NEBEN CORSO" (Next to Corso) below it. The clean composition, devoid of decorative elements, exemplifies early modernist design principles with its emphasis on geometric abstraction and functional typography.

The poster advertised a sale of carpet remnants for Forster, a Swiss carpet company. Baumberger's design represents a significant moment in graphic design history, as he "adopted the cleanest Modernism" for this commercial advertisement. The diagonal black rectangle cleverly represents "a sale of carpet remnants" through abstract visual language. Art historians have noted that the rectangle "is both an echo of Van Doesburg's paintings of the same time and a precursor of the most minimal 'Swiss' Style of 30 years later." This places the poster as an important transitional work, connecting the abstract geometric explorations of the De Stijl movement with the later development of the International Typographic Style (Swiss Style) that would become globally influential in the 1950s and 60s.

Otto Baumberger (1889-1961) was one of the most important graphic designers in Switzerland and is often considered the "spiritual father" of the Swiss poster. After completing apprenticeship as a lithographer with Emil Winter in Zurich, he studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule (now part of the Zurich University of the Arts) from 1905 to 1907, followed by further training in Munich, Paris, and London. Throughout his career spanning more than 40 years, he produced approximately 200-250 posters for tourism, culture, politics, and advertising industries. He worked at the renowned J.E. Wolfensberger printing company, where he created his first poster in 1911 and later lithographed many of his own designs. Baumberger's approach to design was remarkably versatile, as "he always sought the most adequate approach to conveying the message at hand" rather than adhering to a single style.