Posters with an Artistic Edge

Here in Denmark, the making of lithographic posters began during the 1890s, where Copenhagen experienced the breakthrough of industrialisation and the increasing urban atmosphere that followed with it. The poster as an art form had its debut on the city’s advertising columns and in window displays, where they portrayed specific products or events in a way that would catch the eye of busy people passing by. The Danish artists chose fresh colours and often a humorous approach to the assignments they were given. Especially Sven Brasch (1886-1970) distinguished himself both in Denmark and abroad with his very elegant and refined brush stroke that was on display on everything from book covers, film and theatre posters to satirical drawings. Four of his posters have found their way to our auction.

International Posters

Most of the posters at this auction were made by international artists such as Ludwig Hohlwein, Carl Kunst and Edwin Hermann Henel. Their names may not be familiar to everyone, but they are nevertheless highly renowned within the auction world with several thousand of their works sold.

Over the years, posters have become very popular as decorative pieces in Danish homes, where you often find kitchen posters with Sikker Hansen's "Circle Girl" or Erik Henningsen's “Thirsty Man”. In the living rooms, you will occasionally find the "1937 High-Speed Train" by Aage Rasmussen or Viggo Vagnby's legendary "Wonderful Copenhagen" poster where a police officer stops the traffic to let a mother duck cross the road with her ducklings.

We hope that even more will discover the joy of collecting poster art and the works’ high artistic quality and timelessness. An aesthetic that no longer exists in today's advertising world.

Preview and Auction

All posters are available at our Online Auction and can be viewed in Copenhagen or Aarhus until the hammer begins to fall online on Tuesday 6 August from 8:00pm.

View all the auction lots with posters here