Abstract
Aynsley undertook research into the Austrian poster designer and graphic artist Julius Klinger (1876-1942) as guest curator for The Wolfsonian, Florida International University, Miami Beach. The resulting exhibition – Julius Klinger: Posters for a Modern Age – was shown at the Wolfsonian (2017-18). Aynsley was also author of a single-authored book with the same title published to accompany the exhibition (Wolfsonian, 2017).
The exhibition and book addressed the following research questions: What was Julius Klinger’s contribution to modern poster, book and typographic design and illustration in Vienna and Berlin? How did Klinger’s work in graphic design and illustration define individual, group, urban, commercial, religious and national identities? How did Klinger’s identity as a designer of Jewish origin impact on his life and work? How can the subject of Viennese modernism in graphic design be best presented to a contemporary visiting public through exhibition?
Research was conducted on Klinger’s designs and related primary documentation in three principal venues: the design collections and libraries of the Wolfsonian, holder of a major and hitherto unseen collection of the designer’s work, the Kunstbibliothek in Berlin and the Museum for Applied Art (MAK) in Vienna. Reference to Klinger’s own writings, for example, revealed his opinions on the place of posters in the modern city and his fascination with the Americanisation of Europe. The exhibition and book shed new light on Klinger’s place within graphic art and design history, including his central role in establishing a distinctive poster style; situated his work within the intense artistic and design experiment in ornament, graphic design and typography within Viennese and German-speaking visual culture; and contributed to the recent re-evaluation of the Jewish contribution to Viennese modernism in design.
The exhibition and book addressed the following research questions: What was Julius Klinger’s contribution to modern poster, book and typographic design and illustration in Vienna and Berlin? How did Klinger’s work in graphic design and illustration define individual, group, urban, commercial, religious and national identities? How did Klinger’s identity as a designer of Jewish origin impact on his life and work? How can the subject of Viennese modernism in graphic design be best presented to a contemporary visiting public through exhibition?
Research was conducted on Klinger’s designs and related primary documentation in three principal venues: the design collections and libraries of the Wolfsonian, holder of a major and hitherto unseen collection of the designer’s work, the Kunstbibliothek in Berlin and the Museum for Applied Art (MAK) in Vienna. Reference to Klinger’s own writings, for example, revealed his opinions on the place of posters in the modern city and his fascination with the Americanisation of Europe. The exhibition and book shed new light on Klinger’s place within graphic art and design history, including his central role in establishing a distinctive poster style; situated his work within the intense artistic and design experiment in ornament, graphic design and typography within Viennese and German-speaking visual culture; and contributed to the recent re-evaluation of the Jewish contribution to Viennese modernism in design.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Place of Publication | The Wolfsonian, Florida International University |
| Publication status | Published - Oct 2017 |