1960s. Posters from the Wienbibliothek Collection
Book presentation and reprints in the Atrium of the Wien Museum Karlsplatz
On May 25 2011, the third volume in the decade-based Wienbibliothek poster series was published, with the focus now on Viennese poster advertising for the 1960s. More than 300 colour-reproduced posters as well as four text contributions by prominent experts offer the chance to trace visual changes in 1960s Vienna.
In the 1960s poster advertising reflected changes in social, political and economic terms; thus on closer examination of both the posters’ design and contents, this decade is shown to be one of transition. In his contribution, Christian Maryška reveals the history of Viennese graphic design and the new developments in Vienna’s advertising world right up to the first agencies. He points towards the incisive shift in formal terms from the painted poster design to the photo poster; Bernhard Denscher devotes himself to the political clash that took place on the poster, whereby thanks to his fine instinct and comprehensive research, it was possible to ascribe works to a style-defining graphic artist of the political poster (Otto Stefferl).
Julia Koenig-Rainer sheds light on the incipient transformation of the woman’s image in the 1960s from housewife and mother to early attempts at being employed and thus independent. The signs of social upheaval are also clearly felt in the posters of the late 1960s.
Finally, Thomas Miessgang makes the connection from the "Uni-Ferkelei" (University Pigsty) in June 1968 to the folk music of the Oberkrainer, from Peter Alexander, Udo Jürgens, the Beatles and Rolling Stones right up to the beginnings of Austro-Pop, from the transitory work of the man of letters Gerhard Fritsch to the cultural scandal surrounding Thomas Bernhard in 1968. All contributions are lavishly illustrated.
Of some 300,000 posters currently to be found in the Wienbibliothek Collection, around 150,000 are available online in the catalogue. Approximately 20,000 posters date from the 1960s. The uniqueness of the Wienbibliothek Poster Collection is based not only on its impressive scale, but also on the scope of the collected posters. They make it possible to gain wide-ranging and deep insight into poster art in Vienna, above all that of the second half of the twentieth century.
The show of selected poster reprints in the Atrium of the Wien Museum Karlsplatz can be visited free of charge until October 16, 2011.
Poster exhibition
Durst? Thirst? Soif? Sete? Susama?
Getränkeplakate der 1960er aus der Sammlung der Wienbibliothek im Rathaus
30.06.2011 – 11.09.2011
designforum Wien, Museumsplatz 1, 1070 Wien
In Kooperation mit der Wienbibliothek im Rathaus entführen das designforum Wien und designaustria im Sommer 2011 in die bunte Welt der „Swinging Sixties“: Die Ausstellung „Durst? Thirst? Soif? Sete? Susama?“ gibt mit Getränkeplakaten aus der Sammlung der Wienbibliothek Einblicke in die Plakatwerbung der 1960er Jahre. Coca Cola, Keli und Traubisoda, Campari, Martini und Schwechater, Meinl und Bali: die Palette der gezeigten Plakate reicht von kühlen Softdrinks über erlesenen Alkoholika bis hin zu feinem Tee und Kaffee. Stil und Design der Produktwerbung vor rund 50 Jahren werden eindrucksvoll vor Augen geführt. Gleichzeitig vermitteln die Sujets und Slogans das Lebensgefühl der Swinging Sixties: So gibt Keli „jungen Schwung“, Coca Cola „erfrischt richtig“ und Sinalco „macht durch Früchte frisch“.
Plakatbuch 60er
Das in der Ausstellung erhältliche Plakatbuch zu den 60er Jahren ist nach dem 70er- und dem 50er-Plakatbuch das dritte der Dekadenreihe. Von den rund 20.000 Plakaten der sechziger Jahre aus der Wienbibliothek vermitteln die ausgewählten 300 Produktwerbungs-, Kultur- und Wahlplakate den politischen und wirtschaftlichen Wandel dieses Jahrzehnts.